


The Cat Who Came for Christmas

by onismxx



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eliot's dad mentioned, Happy Ending, M/M, Mention of people being mean to cats, Slow Burn, Todd is a cat!, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:27:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 38,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21625270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onismxx/pseuds/onismxx
Summary: Quentin always viewed himself as organized chaos personified.  Between all the veterinary exams, hours stocking shelves at the local pet store and worried texts from his sister, he's barely cracking.  He'd be proud of himself but he knows that cute fireman is going to be trouble.  And finals are coming up!Eliot always viewed himself as a work in progress, albeit he was working very slowly.  Yet the month before Christmas he managed to finally start flipping his dream home, get out of an absurd relationship and fall in love.  And he's got a stray bengal cat named Todd to blame for all of this.Inspired by Hallmarks Nine Lives of Christmas
Relationships: Margo Hanson/Alice Quinn, Marina Andrieski/Julia Wicker, Quentin Coldwater/Eliot Waugh
Comments: 13
Kudos: 56
Collections: Magicians Hallmark Holiday Extravaganza





	1. He Plays

**Author's Note:**

> NONE OF THIS would have been possible without my amazing teammate/artist Liz!! She's so talented and so helpful and the friendliest and honestly, I wouldn't have gotten through this without her. Go send lots of love after this!
> 
> Also wanna thank my beta Tori, an actual angel who managed to understand the gibberish I was writing and helped me turn it into something legible. Honestly, so smart and kind.
> 
> Lastly wanna thank Riz and those who worked so hard to make MHHE possible! Thank you for bringing my new friend Liz and I together and making this a smooth ride especially when I wasn't. This fandom is the greatest because of people like you <3

“You can’t have a straight man taking pictures of a half-naked Eliot Waugh, it’s blasphemous. You can’t even see the outline of his dick,” a woman’s voice broke the stream of the camera shutters and distant chattering.

Eliot Waugh couldn’t help but agree with his best friend from his pose in front of the parked fire truck. He definitely wasn’t a model, but he didn’t look bad in front of a camera. His poses were fluid and his gaze was hot but the photographer was dead-set on getting all the wrong angles and lighting. They weren’t going to sell any fundraising calendars this way and Eliot wasn’t going to live his dream of finally dressing like a sexy fireman even though it was his real career of seven years. He didn’t watch every season of America’s Next Top Model and take everything he learned from Miss Tyra Banks to mess up his first and probably only professional photoshoot. He was smizing, for hell’s sake. He pressed his hand to his bare chest and shook his head. “We need a second,” he told the photographer, ignoring the response and several shutters from the camera that followed and he walked right up to his best friend.

Margo was tapping away at her cell phone. Even though she was only halfway paying attention to the photoshoot in the firestation, she could tell it was a disaster. 

“Baby boy,” she sighed as she set her phone back into her pocket and made grabby hands for the taller man. 

She was in her actual work uniform, unlike his costume. The photoshoot today was for the firefighters of Boston, raising money for a children’s hospital that lost part of a ward due to a fire. Margo was a policewoman and loved her job, but she was also the one who suggested they take pictures and make a calendar for the thirsty suburban mothers. The thought of local wine moms sitting in the tub and fantasizing about him actually did wonders for his ego.

And she didn’t mind seeing a bunch of half-naked people. Her eyes flickered over Eliot’s outfit and she cupped his cheeks for a moment before fussing with his suspenders. “This photoshoot is a bust. The body oil might have been a mistake, you’re too shiny in the pictures,” she frowned, glaring at the photographer behind them.

“You’re the one who insisted on putting it on,” he responded in fond annoyance. She did make the creative choices for his shoot. He was going to be the month of January so those procrastinators would have to buy the calendars right away rather than wait for a discounted price if there were any left. Eliot really hoped they sold them all. Back when he was in his early twenties he avoided hard work and responsibilities when he could. Nowadays, he found that he did have a bit of a competitive flair. He wanted to do the best and when there was no clear competition he wanted to outdo himself.

That’s what life at thirty was like for Eliot. Luckily, Margo was just as competitive and determined to make her best friend the hottest. Not that it was hard. She gave him an axe and insisted he only wore suspenders and pants. He had to sell a fantasy to these housewives, she said. That he would stop their house from burning down and then fuck them against any surface that was intact. They both knew that he was gay, in fact anyone who knew Eliot knew he was. He wore his identity so easily now that he had found himself.

Growing up on a small farm in Indiana with a religious and homophobic father made Eliot learn to hate the man but also himself. He moved to Boston for college as soon as he could get away from his family and dropped out after the first year. He could still hear the glee in his father’s voice when he told him the news, as if he knew Eliot was born to fail. For a few years following that Eliot believed he was born to fail as well. He partied too much, drank too much, slept with too many men. He couldn’t remember even half of their names if he tried. The only light in his life was Margo Hanson.

He was twenty-four years old when they met and he couldn’t believe he survived a quarter of a century without her. She found him passed out in her bathtub, the morning after a party she hosted. He had the worst hangover and she wasn’t the most gentle but he needed the tough love. She turned the water of her shower to cold and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched him squirm. She crouched down next to the tub when he tried to get up and pressed her hand to his chest, forcing him to still.  _ “You’re the one who hit on my man all night, making him all bi-curious all of a sudden,” _ she said, her voice hard.  _ “So sober up, meet me in the kitchen and tell me your story.” _

The boyfriend left after a disastrous attempt at a threesome, but Eliot and Margo remained glued to each other’s sides. It was a beautiful story really, better than any meet cute in the movies. Margo and Eliot had a relationship that was more epic than any movie. Margo deemed that to be true and she was rarely- scratch that- never wrong.

“It’s been a while since I touched a man. I don’t remember them being this slippery,” she teased, fingertips dragging down along his chest. They glided easily from the oil and Eliot didn’t bother suppressing the small shiver that followed. “I wish I knew how to operate a camera like that. I feel like I could get a better picture of you on my phone.”

“You’re Kardashian level with your selfie game, Bambi. Better even.”

“You charmer,” she beamed and pinched his nipple lightly, causing him to groan and shoot her a mock glare. She winked at him and grabbed a napkin off the table next to them to wipe her hand before turning her attention back to her phone. 

“Who are you even talking to?” his eyebrow arched and he tried to peer at the screen but Margo smoothly pulled her phone away, texting at the same time. She was great at multitasking.

“Kanye,” she replied absently, smiling as he assumed she pressed send and tucked her phone into her back pocket so it wasn’t the focus of the conversation anymore.

Eliot didn’t give up that easily though and he was just about to go full interrogation mode before he was interrupted by his coworker. “Eliot, we’re paying this guy hourly. Let’s finish this,” the man had his arms crossed over his chest and he looked very annoyed. But Eliot didn’t take it personal, it was just how Penny always looked and he was used to it by now.

“Relax over there, August,” Eliot gave Margo ‘a look’ because who cared about August? It was when everyone went back to school and it started getting cold again. It snowed maybe a day in Richmond, Virginia but there were times where it got cold and everyone unfortunately had to layer up. It was December now and Eliot was starting to get goosebumps from the lack of clothing.

“Get back to work, stud,” Margo teased, taking a step to the side and smacking him right against the ass. The pants were too thick to feel anything but Eliot let out a moan just to annoy Penny. It worked because the other man rolled his eyes and left. “Give them all boners.”

“My favorite wet dream,” Eliot said dreamily, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Coming over for dinner tonight?”

“Of course. We have to plan out our epic Cancun Christmas,” her eyes lit up and even though it wasn’t freezing where they lived, the thought of being on a beach for Christmas was rather exciting. But at the same time, it was getting old. Not that he could tell Margo that. And before she had the chance to note his hesitation, he quickly changed the subject.

“Over a nice Pinot Noir. I gotta get to work though, Penny is going to burn what little I’m wearing just by his glare,” Eliot pressed a kiss to Margo’s cheek and gave her a salute. The things he did for his job.

\---

Quentin didn’t know why cold classrooms always made him want to sleep. Maybe he just wore too comfy of a sweater and all he wanted to do was burrow deep in the material and sleep until he could finally make it to bed. Sleep felt like a distant memory nowadays, between work and class and volunteering at the local shelter he felt like his plate was rather full. Thus was the life of a veterinary hopeful. He had no idea how his best friend and classmate handled such a life. Alice Quinn was truly magnificent though. She was the hardest worker and the smartest student and at the same time, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever met.

He felt like a disaster just sitting next to her. She offered him a tight smile, noting his drooping eyes but her main focus was on the whiteboard in front of them. They were reviewing as much as they could before their final exam. Their professor liked throwing them easy questions out of nowhere to make sure they were retaining all of their schooling. Quentin felt like his eyes were going to burn out of his head entirely if he didn’t close them for a moment at least. He shifted in his seat and tilted his head downward, his chin resting in his hand like he was focused on his notes. It was a trick he used in high school, when he spent late nights reading books and comics.

Oh no. He was definitely falling asleep. Hopefully his long hair was blocking his face from view. Now his teacher’s voice was just a white noise that was urging him to finally get some rest. If he looked in front of him he would have noticed the panic on Alice’s face and the nervous way the pencil between her fingers started taping against her desk. The professor had his sights set on Quentin and there was nothing she could do to save him now.

“What is the removal of the salivary glands called? Mr. Coldwater, perhaps?” the professor said, a light teasing in her voice like any teacher would have when they caught their student doing something wrong.

“Sialadenectomy!” Quentin cried out a little too loudly. It was clear that he was dozing off, but the answer was right. He would have been pretty proud of himself if he didn’t notice the way Alice rolled her eyes.

“That’s correct,” the professor noted with a small air of disappointment. “You need a little more caffeine in your next cup of coffee.”

The class erupted into snickering before the professor cleared her throat and began lecturing again. Quentin gave Alice a small shrug before she shook her head and focused on the lecture. Quentin had no choice but to begin scribbling his own notes. 

Less than a month left of this.

Less than another ten minutes left of class. Maybe he just needed to take this minute by minute instead of focusing on the long-term plans. The future was scary and stressed him out at the moment. He just needed to get through this minute and then the next. His dad always said it was pointless to be so frightened of the future. His father always had the best kind of advice and Quentin wished he had just a bit more time with him to learn as much as he could.

Class was over in what felt like the next hour and Alice was quick to grab her messenger bag to join Quentin in the few rows behind her. Their professor shot them an amused glance but all but ran out of the classroom. Quentin understood having to rush.

“Maybe if you didn’t oversleep we could have grabbed coffee before this. Then again, I’m losing track of how many times you’ve fallen asleep in class. I can’t believe you’re probably going to pass,” Alice pointed out, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Even though they were the best kind of friends now, she did have a competitive side. She had to be the best and he was right at her tails without having to try as hard sometimes.

“It’s a good thing you didn’t work last night. Someone found worms in their dry food and I had to listen to them complain about it for an entire hour,” Quentin groaned, rubbing his palms against his eyes. He had two hours before his next shift. Enough time to fire up the stove for some canned soup and maybe sleep for a full hour. Although after last night, he really didn’t want to go back.

“Dog or cat food?”

“That’s what you’re taking from that?” Quentin’s lips twitched up.

“It’s Friday. What are we doing after work tonight?” Alice changed the subject, lifting his backpack for him because he wasn’t moving fast enough. He took it with ease, used to these gestures from her and they didn’t bother him as much as they did when they were dating. He took things way too personally back then. They both did but they could never really get the communication down when they were together. Quentin and Alice were better friends than anything else. The best of friends.

“Well, I’m going to watch as much Criminal Minds as I can before I ultimately pass out. I’m probably going to eat an entire frozen pizza too. It’s going to be pretty epic,” he poked fun at himself as they began to walk out of the room. Soon they were outside in the bright sunlight. And lord, did Quentin just want to go into his blacked out room and sleep until next year.

Alice pursed her lips together, doubting if she should even say what she was going to say next but she barrelled through. “Let’s go to a bar tonight. Have some fun. You’re either working or studying.”

“So are you,” he pointed out, shooting an appalled look at a jogger who had to come between the pair. Who had time to jog? Quentin couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been to a gym.

“I need more,” she admitted, almost as if she were ashamed. And truth be told, they both had the tendency to be devoured by their work and their passions. He wondered if either of them would meet someone who would understand that. In the end though, he wanted what was best for Alice. Anyone would be lucky to have her. 

He put his hand on her elbow lightly and offered a supportive smile. There was no doubt in his mind that Alice was going to get everything she wanted in life. He never met someone so deserving.

There were several notifications coming from her phone, six in a row. Her pale skin flushed and she tucked her hair behind her ear hastily. “It’s gotta be Greta. She’s been wanting me to cover her Sunday.”

He was about to say he could take the shift. He definitely could take as many hours as he could get. But there was a look on her face that made him feel like she was lying. Why was she lying?

“I’ll see you at work, okay?” He asked gently, fixing the straps of his backpack before making his way towards where he locked his bike up. Minutes were going by so quickly and he wanted to use as many of them as he could for sleep.

“Bring a change of clothes, in case you change your mind,” she waved at him before whipping out her phone and walking away.

They both knew he wasn’t going out that night.

\---

Julia couldn’t believe she had a favorite kind of champagne. She and Quentin tended to go for sticky brightly colored sugar water in cheap plastic bottles when they were kids and now she had a fancy champagne sitting on the dining room table for her. Propped against the bottle was a small card with her name written in fancy cursive on the envelope. And she was completely surrounded by orchids, her favorite flower in her favorite shades of purple.

Her heart was pounding in her chest and she brushed her long hair over her shoulders as she lifted the card. She recognized her girlfriend’s handwriting easily and tore at the envelope. Was this it? Was this the proposal? They were together for five years now and even Quentin wondered why her girlfriend didn’t propose. Julia pondered doing it herself but she knew Marina entirely now. 

She was the bossy one in the relationship. Not that Julia was a complete pushover. She had her beliefs and fought for them tirelessly. Even if she had to argue with her girlfriend. Constant conflict could be draining though and Julia didn’t always disagree with Marina. Sometimes it was nice to hand over the reigns and let someone else take over for a bit.

It was a rocky start but they worked. It made no sense at times but they worked. In the end they were in love and they were each other’s biggest cheerleaders. Marina wanted Julia to be successful as a realtor and Julia wanted Marina to reach her dreams of becoming a lawyer. She was so incredibly lucky that the two people she cared about more than anything were going down the path of their dream jobs. Quentin and Marina had supported her since the day she timidly announced she was going to school for her own career.

She had a distraction from the sappy thoughts when arms began to wind around her middle. She didn’t even get to read the card. Instead Marina read it aloud over her shoulder before kissing Julia’s neck.

“All this because I sold a house? There’s like twenty orchids here!” Julia cried out in awe, head rolling back onto Marina’s shoulder. She could feel her smiling against her neck.

“Eighteen. And they’re incredibly fickle to take care of so good luck darling.”

“You better help me,” Julia turned around in her arms and settled her hands on the sides of her girlfriend’s neck.

“You have to sell two more houses if you want my services,” Marina teased, pressing a quick peck to the corner of Julia’s mouth. She was so proud of her but teasing was her love language and she felt like Julia understood now.

“What would happen if I sold an entire sub division?”

“I’d get you a yacht! But we wouldn’t wear anything but bikinis the entire time we’re on it,” she squeezed Julia’s ass before letting her go. “I’ve got to get ready for a meeting though, babe. Have you talked to your brother yet? Is he coming for Christmas or is he gonna get drunk on eggnog alone with his cat again? We can spend Christmas at home and New Years away so we don’t have to feel guilty about leaving your brother!”

Julia sent her a wary glance, she loved her girlfriend but she was always rather protective over Quentin. She felt like it was because he had a hard time protecting and caring for himself. But he all but raised her when their parents died. He was only three years older but he always put her dreams in front of his own and now that she was truly happy with where her life was she wanted to return the favor. Even if it was something small like Christmas dinner. It meant the world to both of them when their parents were still alive. “He’ll be here if I have to drag him.”

“I’d love to watch you roughhouse all the boys, but I’m going to be late,” Marina poured herself a cup of coffee to-go in the kitchen and hurried over to Julia, who was still looking at the flowers. “He’ll come over this year and we’ll make a gingerbread Hogwarts and cry while watching a Muppets movie. I promise. I love you. Don’t kill the flowers while I’m gone.”

Julia rolled her eyes but still pressed a kiss to her girlfriend’s cheek. “I love you. Don’t make anyone cry today.”

Marina only snickered and went out the door. Julia’s fingers brushed against one of the flower petals and she felt like she would be the one crying in a second. At first she absolutely despised Marina and her cold attitude. But it was all a defense, she later understood. No one thought they would last, especially Marina.

She sighed to herself and finally left the dining room, grabbing her phone from the charger in the kitchen. No new messages from Quentin but she wasn’t surprised. He constantly misplaced the thing.

**To: Q**

**You haven’t RSVP-ed to my Christmas dinner yet. You’re the only one invited so respond correctly!**

She set the phone on the counter and began taking some cut up fruit from the fridge. Marina got ambitious and bought too many cantaloupes that she wanted to turn into sorbet. Julia wasn’t going to complain about the snack now.

As soon as she settled at the counter and plopped a piece in her mouth her phone buzzed. She chewed slowly and smiled.

**From: Q**

**Depends on what you’re making!**

She bit her lip and was tempted to try calling but he was probably at work.

**To: Q**

**Wrong answer!**

**From: Q**

**I’m coming I’m coming. Get the eggnog ready and tell your girlfriend to play nice.**

Julia chuckled to herself. What she wanted was to tell him to bring someone over too. Quentin was the best person she knew and he deserved to be happy with someone! 

**To: Q**

**You bringing anyone with?**

She paused for a moment and then sent a bunch of eye emojis for good measure. It took a little longer to get a response, but she didn’t let it bother her. Quentin was a busy man and so was she. She looked over designs for new business cards before her phone buzzed twenty minutes later. 

**From: Q**

**A hungry cat?**

Julia rolled her eyes.

**To: Q**

**Christmas blind date it is! Now get back to work, slacker!**

**From: Q**

**STOPIT. THE WORST.**

\---

Eliot stared down at the sleeping figure in his bed and smiled lightly. He wasn’t used to being the one who would wake up with a hangover but he was already dressed in a pair of black slacks and a floral printed top, sipping his cup of coffee staring at the lump in his bed that was Margo Hanson. He loved her deeply, but lord did he want to draw something on her face.

She gripped onto his pillow tightly and he made his way from the foot of the bed to sit next to her. Her phone kept chiming and although he didn’t look too deeply into it, he could tell it was a dating app. He used it once upon a time too for mindless hookups. Looked like Margo matched with a talker. Which probably meant that she was talking to a girl, Eliot thought gleefully. It might have been sexist, but it was just from his experience. The only other girl he texted than Margo sent him six bunny emojis in a row once. For no explicit reason. 

He nudged her side, setting down his cup of coffee next to her phone and gently brushed the hair out of her face. “Wake up, Princess.”

“Queen,” she corrected, slightly muffled by the pillow. She slowly blinked awake before shooting Eliot a glare. “If it’s before noon I might kill you. I don’t make the rules but mama needs her sleep.”

“12:01, my sweet. Coffee?” He motioned towards the cup as she slowly sat up. 

“By the gallon.” She glared at the open curtain before turning onto her back. “Eliot, we said we weren’t going to drink like that anymore.”

“You know we aren’t our reasonable selves when the wine bottle is uncorked. Listen, I’m going to get us a dozen bagels to soak up any bad toxins and you’ll love me again. Promise.”

“I’ll always love you, but hurry the fuck up,” she grabbed a throw pillow and used it to smother herself as she let out a whine. They weren’t in their lower twenties anymore and that fact hurt more than the actual hangover. Eliot seemed to age finely as he got older. Mold into who he was meant to be. Margo dumped her boyfriend when she found her first gray hair.

“Cinnamon raisin, please?” Her voice sounded almost sweet behind the pillow. Eliot shot her a soft look even though she couldn’t see him.

“Anything Her Majesty wants.” He fought the urge to bow. If she was looking at him he would have totally done it.

Her phone pinged several times and she stilled in her spot on the bed. Margo didn’t say anything about it either. But Eliot couldn’t help himself.

“Tinder?”

“Shut up,” Margo groaned without any real heat. She carefully sat up, back against the headboard and even though she was incredibly hungover she still looked beautiful. “I’m a busy woman who doesn’t have time to go out as much as I used to.”

“I’m not judging. You know how many times I downloaded Grindr?” he sat down next to her and she wrapped her arms around his middle, her cheek pressed to his back. 

“Of course. Nothing but dicks on your phone,” she teased before inhaling sharply. “I’m talking to the hot blond nerd. She’s interesting but… I don’t know. We’ve never met. I’m kind of disappointed with myself for having to use the app in the first place.”

There was a warmth in Eliot’s chest that he couldn’t explain. Margo wasn’t one to talk to someone she was interested in because she normally wasn’t interested in talking in the first place. Now here she was, talking nonstop to someone and Eliot was dying to meet this nerd, who was making Margo sound this vulnerable. “Do you have a picture?”

“For my eyes only. Now leave. You need to feed me,” she shoved him off the bed and tucked herself under his comforter. 

—-

Eliot typically didn’t celebrate any major holiday, except perhaps New Years and Halloween because they were the prime times to get drunk and make horrible decisions. However every time he went to Fillory Bakery, he felt like he was celebrating. The Christmas music was too quiet to be obnoxious and the co-owner was as cute as a button. He absolutely adored Fen. She was the polar opposite of Margo but he still managed to love her almost as much. He’d known her for as long as he’d lived in this city, she used to be a bartender at her father’s pub that he frequented. This was back when he was bad-decisions-Eliot and he was constantly too intoxicated to notice that she had a huge crush on him. 

Luckily for both of them, Josh Hoberman came around. So relaxed, so eager to have fun. Fen met someone who could help her expand her horizons without destroying her emotionally. 

He became Fen’s boyfriend and Eliot’s weed dealer (not that he smoked anymore, thank you) in a matter of months. He was also one of the few men Margo didn’t tease mercilessly, although she did tease him. Josh always held his ground though. He was really quite grounding for all of them and someone genuinely fun to be around.

And he made the best caramel brownies. Eliot’s nose all but pressed against the glass as he stared at the dessert. The photoshoot already happened he could have one brownie, right? Even if it was for breakfast…

Fen came into view and her eyes flickered between Eliot and the brownie. “You know every time Josh makes those he thinks of you?” she teased, leaning forward over the glass that separated them. In the case there were all types of dessert options: chocolate eclairs, fruit tarts, various macarons, cupcakes, cookies. Closer to the door there was a display of breakfast pastries and behind the counter against the wall there were bagels and fresh loaves of bread in baskets. There were also the seasonal favorites like gingerbread men and jam filled rugelach. Eliot would definitely have a hard time working here.

“Tell him I’m single and I will be until he finally decides to marry me and bake exclusively for me daily,” he scratched at his chin absently as he gave the brownie one last glance. Not today.

“I would be threatened because you’re- well you. But what about Mik-”

He waved the question off and pointed at the chocolate filled croissants in the breakfast area. “I need to bring Margo some food. She’s hard to deal with when she’s hungover, I have to cater to her every whim.”

Fen took the hint and went over with a paper bag and tongs. “You think she’ll allow you to be a few minutes late? Josh is working on a custom cake in the back but he’d love to see you.”

Eliot was already pulling out his wallet and shook his head solemnly. “Every minute I’m late is another spank-”

The door opened and the familiar bell rung in the bakery. Fen’s eyes widened but Eliot had no time to stick around and chat. For some reason he felt flighty as soon as she tried to mention Mike and he couldn’t understand why. Fen noticed and reluctantly took his money so he could go. 

“You’re a doll,” Eliot leaned over the counter and kissed Fen on the cheek before turning around. His phone dinged and he chuckled when he saw a threat from Margo. Narrowly avoiding bumping into a customer, he left the bakery before they had the chance to yell at him for texting and walking.

\---

The scents of cinnamon and peppermint hit Quentin like a wall when he walked into the bakery. It was such a welcoming combination of scents and every step further overwhelmed him. In an entirely welcome way, he did appreciate his carbs. And his best friend happened to own this particular bakery so he was fortunate. Not that he wanted a hand out from Josh, but sometimes the other man wanted him to sample his new concoctions. And Quentin would really do anything to help his friends!

He glanced around the bakery and before he had the chance to take another step closer to the counter he was towered by a tall figure. A tall figure texting on his phone and not paying attention to where he was going, gracefully avoiding Quentin and the small display table of local preserves and honeys. Normally he hated that sort of thing and well, he still hated it but the man was so handsome that Quentin couldn’t even say anything snide under his breath. Instead he could only watch as the man laughed at something on his phone and walked out of the bakery. Quentin felt like a creep as he watched the man walk down the sidewalk along the building.

Everything felt like slow motion and the man didn’t look up from his phone but if he did he would catch Quentin staring. Quentin had lived out here his entire life and with his lack of a social life he rarely met new people. This guy wore designer clothes that fit his frame perfectly. Quentin had a dark blue coat that engulfed his entire being. The stranger moved with confidence and towered over Quentin. He was severely lacking in height and confidence. His voice was so deep as he laughed- 

Quentin cleared his throat and snapped out of it. He was too busy for relationships. Even hookups. he knew that the man was going to somehow sneak his way into his dreams that night. But Quentin came here with a purpose and he needed to find a breakfast fast! Or at least some coffee. His mind was racing and soon he wasn’t thinking about the tall, hot stranger anymore.

“Quentin!” A peppy voice distracted him from staring at the bagels longingly. He didn’t even have to tilt his head at the woman’s voice, he knew her well enough.

“It’s so early Fen. How are you awake?” He teased, turning to face her fully now.

The brunette looked amused and shook her head at him. “Let me get you a coffee,”

“I’m actually running late to work,” he looked at the clock above her. He did have to go home to feed his cat first because he wasn’t going to be home until late tonight. Everyone was buying a puppy for Christmas it seemed but no one knew what they needed to buy for them. Quentin suggested they make checklists for new dog owners and his boss loved it. His boss also kept saying one day he could take over the shop, since his son had no interest. Unfortunately, neither did Quentin. He was going to be a veterinarian, he wanted to be one his entire life and had to postpone. Not anymore.

“To go!” He could tell by her tone that there was no room for denying her. Fen tended to get what she wanted one way or another and Quentin learned that if he didn’t completely disagree with her then it was best to just get out of her way. And she was already on her way--

Julia always said he had a hard time letting people do nice things for him. She also said that it could be because he had a hard time letting people in. After their parents' death, he was too scared to let anyone else in. What Julia said was probably right because it did hurt a bit. But she was a realtor, not a therapist. 

He studied the sugar cookies for a few minutes, all the fun little shapes of reindeers and sleighs. Josh was always so great at putting together baked goods, the textures and the taste were always spot on. However Fen was so creative when it came to icing. The cookies here looked too good to eat but smelled too amazing to avoid. Luckily Fen came right back with a to-go mug and a small paper bag. 

The door jingled behind them and Fen ignored the new guest for a moment to give Quentin a pointed stare. “Josh wants you to try these new almond croissants.” She all but shoved the bag into his hand and put on a smile for the customer. “Let me know if you need anything!” she said in her cheery customer service voice.

Quentin opened up the bag and weeped internally at the three croissants waiting for him. He was so hungry and his best friend was well, the best.

“I noticed you staring,” Fen’s lips twitched up as Quentin’s attention slowly turned back to her. His stomach was growling at the sight and smell of food.

“At the bagels?”

“At a boy,” she smirked. Who taught her that?

“Oh. Um-”

“His name’s Eliot. He comes here every Tuesday morning typically. Like he sits down and has coffee in the corner all morning. Which means you should too. Maybe share a table.”

“I have class on Tuesdays. And I’m too busy for all of that, Fen. You know that,”

“You can be busy and not be alone… I think the guy’s ready to check out, I’ll see you soon Quentin. Maybe Tuesday?”

“Maybe,” he shook his head though as he exited the bakery. He noted that he lived in the opposite direction of this Eliot guy. Although the walk home was a rather nice one. Aside from the bakery and a few small shops, the area was mostly residential, old homes with large front porches and beautiful fenced yards. Quentin wouldn’t own a home like that in his lifetime probably, even if Julia could pull every string possible to get him one. Although it was a dream of his. To have a yard and maybe two dogs. Maybe a small vegetable garden. His dad liked all that outdoor stuff like tending to the yard and it was easy for Quentin to get out of his head when he was focused on pulling weeds. 

A few blocks down, he finally saw his apartment building. It was a small one, three apartments above one another. His was the ground floor and because it was so accessible it was so easy for his landlord to ‘visit’. The woman had it out for him and he couldn’t understand why. He paid his rent on time every month even when it was a struggle. He didn’t bother her with maintenance. The only real problem was that there weren’t pets allowed in the apartments.

He sighed as he unlocked his door and was greeted by the fluffy cat instantly rubbing against his legs. “Good morning Jane,” he set down his cup on the desk next to his door and crouched down to scratch his cat’s chin. Jane was a white persian cat with yellow eyes. And after a bad experience with her previous owner, she grew to be timid and scared around most humans and in general. It was nice for Quentin to take care of someone else, when he felt too overwhelmed to even take care of himself. He stood up and made his way into his bedroom, where he kept the cat food. She followed him dutily, tail flicking because she knew where this was going. 

As soon as he scooped the dry food into her bowl he heard a knock on the door. In panic mode, he closed the door on her in his room and kicked all the cat toys under the couch when he made it into the living room. Scrambling to the door he opened it and was greeted by the face he constantly dreaded, yet always prepared for: his landlord.

She had a smile on her face, the kind that made him nervous. Because she was never really smiling at him, she just wanted to make nice until she could kick him out and raise the rent on the next person to move in. “Good morning, Mr. Coldwater. I was just walking by and thought I heard meowing. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t have a little uh- fuzzy guest.”

“Nope. Just me. Was just watching some TV before heading over to work,” he rubbed at the back of his neck and leaned against the doorframe. His heart was pounding but he found with lying that less was more.

“Hm. Well. As long as you know the rules that having pets in this building just isn’t allowed,” she paused as if she were waiting for him to admit the cat he was hiding in the bedroom. She didn’t know a hundred percent but it was obvious she had her suspicions. And he wasn’t going to add to them.

“Yep. My sister’s a realtor so we read the lease thoroughly. Can I do anything for you? I really have to get ready for work, I can’t be late.”

“Of course. My apologies, Mr. Coldwater. You have a good day! And happy holidays,” she peered over his shoulder, looking one last time before giving up and turning around.

“You too,” he said weakly, wanting to flip her off but knowing his luck he knew she would turn around. He sighed as he closed the door. And when he made it into his bedroom he scooped Jane up into his arms and held her close to his chest.

She purred loudly and he knew he would do anything to keep her safe.

\---

Eliot smiled wanly as his friends tried to set him up on a date. Here he was, trying to have a cup of coffee and a brownie at the bakery and suddenly he was bombarded by the cutest couple in the world. Fen was a bundle of energy, practically bouncing in her seat at the idea of finding Eliot the perfect boyfriend. Meanwhile Josh was drinking his own cup of coffee, idly picking at bits of dough on his wrist. The amount of work he put into the place really toned his arms, Eliot had to keep from staring.

“Come on, Eliot! He’s perfect for you. I know you have a thing for nerds,” she teased, grabbing onto Josh’s forearm as they shared a knowing look. Eliot hated couples for that reason, although he could do those things with Margo. They could have entire conversations from across the room. Why did she have to be working right now?

“Oh my god,” Eliot fiddled with his collar, unable to respond because she was right. He wouldn’t consider it a kink, he just got hot and bothered making people a little flustered. Not completely uncomfortable, just flustered. “You don’t have to do anything. I’m not going to be alone for Christmas.”

He finally told Margo the day before that he couldn’t go to Cancun for Christmas. She was still planning on going and it made him realize that he didn’t have many friends nowadays. Back in his early twenties he could pack out his apartment for a party but now he’d be lucky if someone wanted to go see a movie with him. It was pathetic. And when Josh asked if he had any plans for the holidays (before Fen interrupted it all to get him to go on a date with a cute little nerd) he didn’t want to sound lame.

“Continue,” Josh waved on, looking like he wanted to laugh.

“Don’t say it-” Fen groaned, rolling her eyes because she knew instantly where this was going.

“Mike’s going to be in town,” Eliot continued reluctantly, not sounding very enthused himself.

Mike was probably the closest Eliot had ever had to a boyfriend. Still had? They never officially broke up but they weren’t an item. Mike worked as a model and he was very hot. Eliot met him when he was twenty-five and he was into shallow things like dating soley for appearance. However, he was surprised by how easy it was to open up to his first real boyfriend. He told him about his troubled past with his parents and how nervous he was when he moved from the Midwest to the east coast. He told him that he became a fireman just because his father believed he couldn’t do anything so brave. Most of the choices he made were mainly to prove his father wrong or done because he knew his father would hate it. He was almost exposed entirely to Mike but when Mike started talking about himself Eliot learned that they really had nothing in common.

Still, Eliot wasn’t actively looking for a boyfriend. He was probably going to be a bachelor until he died but he thought he lived that lifestyle pretty well. So his friends and Mike would just get off his back, he would probably say they had an open relationship. Luckily Mike was constantly travelling the world because of his job. They both had their separate flings and it was fine. Really. Eliot was fine. He didn’t need couples trying to fix him, he was fine!

—-

_ ‘You can do better.’ _

Fen’s words haunted him on his walk back home. But the paper bag crinkled in Eliot’s hand and the promise of carbs put him in a good mood. It was quiet out on his walk back from the bakery too, aside from the distant barking of dogs that he honestly didn’t give another thought. Maybe everyone was too busy working so they could truly enjoy the holidays. Eliot wondered what it was like to have that kind of job, with a set schedule. 

The dogs were getting louder and he looked up from his phone, where he was distracted and looking at the latest celebrity gossip. Sometimes their lives were more entertaining than the soap operas he’d watch as a child but he really shouldn’t be that guy who walks on the phone while walking on the sidewalk. 

His gaze shifted to the source of the noise. There were two dogs, they looked like brown hounds. They weren’t aggressive, just excited about something hanging from the lowest branch of the tree in their yard. Ever the civil servant, Eliot had to walk over to investigate. Once he reached the house he saw an orange cat panicking in its spot on the branch. It wanted absolutely nothing to do with the dogs and although Eliot liked dogs, he understood the disdain at the same time. Dogs could be so needy. 

He grew up with dogs on the farm and they would forever be in the memories he longed to forget. Even though he did genuinely love the ones he grew up with. His father did too, more than he loved his youngest son it appeared. Eliot grimaced, not about to drift back in memories when a furry little creature needed his help. It’s why he became a firefighter to begin with. To prove his father wrong and to save fuzzy, cute little animals.

With a sharp whistle, he distracted the dogs long enough to get their attention. He grabbed a long stick on the ground and waved it before them until they noticed it. Once he got their attention, he threw the stick at the other end of the yard, surprised it worked as they chased it. Dogs were easily distracted which worked for and against his favor here because they could come back any second and he didn’t want to get these clothes dirty and he just bought this new topcoat. He cringed inwardly but he knew what he needed to do.

“Come here, little beast,” he whispered, taking off his coat and grabbing the cat before it had the chance to run away. Once he held the bundle in his arms he began to wonder what he was even going to do with it. He didn’t have his car with him to take it to a shelter and he didn’t want to inspect for a collar in case the poor bastard got away and back to those excited dogs. 

“Looks like you’re coming with me,” he sighed, drawing the coat closer to his chest. 

He would lock it in the guest bathroom while he asked Margo what the hell he should do with the stray. For all he knew it could have rabies. For all he knew he could be catnapping the poor thing from it’s home! For trying to be a Good Samaritan, he constantly felt like he was doing something wrong. 

Margo surprisingly adored the tabby as soon as she saw the bundled lump in his arms. She grabbed the cat fearlessly and began to scratch behind its ears and the entire hallway was filled with the sound of a cat purring. There was even a small smile on her face and Eliot couldn’t believe what was happening. “What’s the tag say?” she said gently, trying not to startle the cat. Even Margo had to let go of the cat eventually. They were mostly independent creatures, after all. That’s why she loved them so much. Eliot quickly began to punch the phone number printed on it into his phone. “Todd,” he said the name aloud as the phone began to ring.

Margo rolled her eyes and put the cat down onto the ground. “How unfortunate,” she shook her head solemnly and gave Todd a pitiful look. 

He only rubbed against her leg once before darting off to explore the rest of the home. Eliot darted to close his bedroom door, phone still ringing against his ear but it was too late. Todd found his pillow immediately and he didn’t even have the chance to kick him out because someone answered the phone. 

“Hi. My name is Eliot and I was looking for whoever was taking care of a cat named Todd, I found him outside today,” he raised an eyebrow warily at the cat but took a break and sat down on his little armchair in the corner of the room. He needed Todd’s owner here as soon as possible, he wasn’t equipped to deal with this. Margo stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest as she watched the look on Eliot’s face fall. “Oh. I understand. Well thank you for your help anyways- No, don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it. Sorry for your loss.”

He hung up the phone with a lost expression and it grew into a confused one when a ball of warmth curled up onto his lap. Todd was purring so loudly too, it was so confusing. Wasn’t the cat uncomfortable with him? Eliot thought the feeling was radiating off of him in waves.

“What happened?”

“Todd’s owner died and her children live in Florida. They can’t take the cat...”

“My god. Wait. Just showing this to Alice,” she snapped a picture of the cat trying to burrow into Eliot’s lap and his weak attempts to push him off.

“Oh, we’re on a first name basis now huh?” Eliot replied playfully, finally giving up on the futile battle against a cat. They were stubborn, he knew that about them.

“Just gonna ask her to name this pussy,” she smirked, typing her response furiously. Margo was rarely this focused on one person for this long, Eliot just sighed and locked eyes with Todd. This was definitely going to be interesting.

A few minutes later, Margo snorted. “She just threatened to block me.”

\---

Quentin could practically hear the second hand of the clock ticking at work, mocking him that he wouldn’t be leaving for another six hours and the time was going to drag. There was only so much he could do to make the shelves look nice. He even went into the room where people could adopt cats and played with them for an hour, even though he tried hard not to go there. He was always scared he’d bring home too many cats that way and he didn’t know how Jane would feel about a roommate. And he was already going to be in trouble one day for keeping one cat, if his landlord found out he had two- 

He definitely couldn’t go back there unless he had to. Instead he would find them other loving homes where they wouldn’t get kicked out for breaking the lease. They were all so incredibly cute and lonely though. And Quentin understood loneliness.

“I wish we could close early on days like these,” Alice said, not glancing away from her phone as she furiously typed away at her phone. Their boss was gone for the day but Alice was very good at sneaking texts at work. Oddly enough, it was a trait Quentin admired. It probably shouldn’t have been, but she never got written up for it. Alice wasn’t one to break the rules unless she completely disagreed with them but lately she seemed to be talking to someone a lot. Quentin didn’t think he’s ever seen her smile this much. 

He didn’t make her smile this much when they were dating so that was already a step up. He just hoped she would be happy with this person. She deserved that. “We’re still getting paid the same amount,” he shrugged.

“I can’t take this. I’m going to make sure all the clean up stations are stocked,” she huffed, shoving her phone into her apron and walking away. Meanwhile Quentin had no idea what to do. He did enjoy the baked goods area, they looked better than anything he could make.

Twenty minutes later the bell at the door rang and Quentin’s head shot right up from his spot filling baked treats for dogs. His throat tightened when he saw who was there. There was no way he could forget a face and figure of the man. Julia always teased Quentin’s constant crushes on men who were practically twice his height but this man was absolutely flawless. The way he held himself so proudly when he started walking up to Quentin too- crap, he was coming right for him with his empty cart and Quentin was sure he was caught staring.

“Um- hi, hello- can I help you find anything today?” Real smooth, he inwardly winced. Why did he choose to do retail if he was just going to embarrass himself in front of attractive people constantly? Was there another career he could pursue for something like that?

“Quentin?” The customer asked and Quentin panicked internally (how did he know his name?) for a moment until he saw that the man was staring at his name tag. 

Normally Quentin hated when people did this but he liked the man’s deep voice. 

The man straightened up and even though the movement was regal, his expression was warm. Like he was absolutely charmed by the other man. But Quentin was sure he was just being hopeful. He cleared his throat and nodded. “Yeah. I’ve got a cat I guess I’m taking care of. My house is unfortunately not very cat friendly. Can you help me find,” his gaze wandered around the store and he looked as overwhelmed as he sounded, “-everything. I need just about everything.”

Quentin laughed, used to people being helpless but even though the man was showing human traits he still seemed godlike to him. Completely unattainable. “Let’s start with the basics okay? Food… how old is your cat?”

“The vet said he looked about two years old. And I would prefer dry food too, personally. I can’t even look at canned tuna for people.”

“Dry food is fine, I give my cat dry food,” he grabbed the front of his cart and directed the man- Fen told him the name but he completely forgot!- towards the bags of food. Well, he tried to pull the cart but the stranger held onto the cart so it wouldn’t budge. He was playing with Quentin and it wasn’t bothering him even slightly. 

“You haven’t asked me for my name,” the stranger said lowly, leaning over the cart and right into Quentin’s eyes. What was this? This could be considered flirting, he was sure. This was Quentin though, things like this didn’t happen to Quentin Coldwater. Julia always pointed out when people hit on Quentin but he had too many other things to deal with. A more focused goal ahead. He told his father when he was alive that he was going to be a vet and he wasn’t going to push it any further for anyone.

Even this hot as fuck guy in front of him. “Who the hell are you?”

The man tipped his head back and let out a laugh. Quentin could feel his face practically burning off. So incredibly charming and the last thing he needed in his life. “Eliot Waugh. Continue,” he relented, letting go of the cart. 

Quentin made it a point for the man to see him roll his eyes before he turned around and guided him, letting Eliot push his own damn cart. “I can show you the top sellers.”

“Show me what you buy your cat,” Eliot said humbly.

“Well… that depends. Does yours go outside too? They need different vitamins in their food depending.”

Eliot pondered it for a moment before solemnly shaking his head. “Definitely too stupid.”

Quentin gave him an incredulous look.

“I’m not mentally ready for a cat. I’ve only had dogs but this one kind of just snuck its way in,” Eliot sounded sheepish when he admitted it. To be fair, the amount of different cat foods was rather overwhelming. “Indoor.”

“Mine too. You’ve got this, okay?” He patted Eliot’s back lightly and it surprised the both of them. Quentin wasn’t one to touch strangers, he usually saw someone attractive and stared from a distance until they noticed him. And then when that happened he would pretend to be looking at something else. Eliot had this aura about him though. The kind of vibe where Quentin could at least see them being fast friends. If anything came from this, Quentin jumped to conclusions often.

“I might need additional help,” Eliot tapped his bottom lip thoughtfully as he looked between the food along the wall and the man at his side. “Maybe I could get your number in case anything happens? You seem like a cat pro,” his finger didn’t leave his lip and he smiled when he caught Quentin staring but how could he not?

Quentin snorted even though he was still blushing. “I can’t tell if that’s an insult or not. Cat pro, I mean.”

“Definitely not an insult,” Eliot smiled eagerly.

“Okay. Fine,” he turned around, surprising Eliot for a moment before he grabbed a bag of food off of the shelf and put it into his cart. “Give me your phone,” Quentin sighed and held out his hand. He sounded wary about the entire thing but not enough to give up. Eliot made him feel warm in a way he was scared to venture into. He didn’t have the time to think about it. But it didn’t stop him from typing his phone number in when Eliot handed him his phone.

“What time do you get out of here?” Eliot took his phone back, setting it back into his pocket without another thought.

Quentin’s eyes widened. This entire encounter was catching him off guard. “I’m busy,” Quentin said automatically. He didn’t know why it sounded so robotic out loud, it’s not like he had a lot of people asking him out. Aside from Alice and Julia, but for entirely different reasons. “I mean, I’ve got an exam coming up and I’ve got to study until my eyes melt.”

“Eyes melt? That’s a new one. I don’t think I’ve been shut down that fast. Anyways, I was just going to ask you to cat proof certain parts of my house,” Eliot replied smoothly, not looking upset by the denied request.

“It’s your cat’s house now,” Quentin laughed, shaking his head. “Come on, you need a litter box. And something for your cat to scratch, unless you hate all your soft furniture. And some toys. And some bowls,” he led Eliot down the next aisle, pointedly ignoring the look Alice was giving him. He was surprised he gave a complete stranger his number that quickly. Even if he was really hot and charismatic and a Disney Prince personified.

“Oh god, this cat is going get spoiled,” Eliot scoffed, eyeing Quentin up and down now that the other man wasn’t paying attention to him. Fen was right, he was so fond of nerds and even though this man was wearing his work uniform he could just  _ tell _ . “What are you studying?”

“Huh?” Quentin was distracted, looking at the prices of the bowls for food and water. 

“You said exam...”

“Oh!” his face probably turned beet red at the question, always nervous when he had to talk about things he was passionate about. “I’m trying to become a veterinarian.”

“Dr. Dolittle,” Eliot teased, grabbing a feather wand and he was tempted to tickle Quentin. He won the internal battle and set the toy back on the shelf.

“I think I’d like to be more like the BeastMaster but… white.”

“That’s the nerdiest thing I’ve heard in my entire lifetime.” The pair snickered and Eliot didn’t want to leave. Unfortunately he felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he had a sixth sense when it came to knowing who was texting him. This was someone from work. He glanced at the screen and was right. “Well, it’s been fun but I have to get going. I completely trust your judgement, by the way,” Eliot huffed and smiled grimly at Quentin. He really didn’t want to leave.

It took Quentin a moment to understand what he meant but as soon as he did, he began to fill up Eliot’s cart with cat necessities. “Have a nice day,” Quentin said in his customer voice after he finished up.

“We’ll keep in touch,” Eliot winked, backing up his cart and making his way to the registers. Quentin watched him leave, still stunned by the entire interaction. He kept staring until Alice moved to stand by his side. 

“He seemed nice,” Alice said airily. The expression she gave him was curious but not exactly pressing. Quentin wouldn’t know what to say. 

He scratched the side of his neck nervously. “He was. You ready to quiz each other? I need a vocabulary speed round.”

Later when they were on their break and Alice was fishing her index cards out of her backpack, Quentin could feel his phone buzz in his back pocket. And even though he knew better, he found himself hoping.

\---

Quentin absently stroked Jane’s fur, reading the textbook in his lap. He didn’t know how long he was studying for but today was one of the rare days he had where he was off from work and school and he chose to use all of his free time on studying. At least he was doing it in bed, that was kind of relaxing. It had to count for something. He still felt incredibly stressed mostly.

He was spending most of the day texting Eliot but he had to work so now Quentin could put all his attention into studying. In the back of his mind though, he was thinking about Eliot. He would read his texts with his deep voice in the back of his head. Visualize the teasing comments with that glint in his eyes. Quentin had only met Eliot once (barely twice) but the more they talked the closer he started to feel to him.

Eliot even began sending him pictures of Todd. Todd sitting on the armchair, dead center. Todd trying to grab his food. Todd playing with a beautiful woman’s necklace (Eliot felt the need to tell him that she wasn’t his girlfriend). Quentin sent pictures of his own cat, Jane. Jane waiting for Quentin to finish taking a bath. Her hiding under the couch when the people downstairs were playing music too loud. Her sitting on his chest when she was taking a nap. Eliot said he saved that one and Quentin’s brain malfunctioned for a good afternoon afterward.

His phone buzzed and he got excited before he quickly deflated. And it showed in his voice without meaning to: “Hi Alice.”

“Hello you grinch,” she was practically rolling her eyes with her voice. She really could do it all.

Quentin scoffed. “I’m sorry. What’s going on, Alice?”

“I want you out of your apartment in some clean clothes and I want you to come with me to the singles mixer tonight. Do you still have that dry shampoo I got you? Actually, just take a quick shower. You look good with wet hair.” Alice sounded busy on the other end of the line. She was probably studying, putting on some makeup and watching a documentary at the same time for all he knew. 

“You couldn’t ask me sooner? I’m busy,” he absently scrolled through his texts with Eliot and paused at the selfie Eliot sent him. It was justified because he was cuddling his goofy cat. They were actually getting along and it warmed his heart. But the smile made him feel electrified.

“Quentin, I normally would applaud how hard you’re working to graduate but I just need some emotional support,” she sighed nervously.

“Is this from that dating app you’re using?” Quentin’s eyebrow arched and he gave Jane a worried look. He really didn’t want to go to a party tonight but Alice could talk him into anything. Jane stared at him for a moment before falling onto her side and stared at him.

Alice inhaled sharply before muttering a ‘yes’.

“I don’t even have that app!”

“Other people are bringing guests. It’s actually encouraged.”

“I don’t have anything to wear,” he looked around his room wildly but tried to calm himself down by petting Jane’s side.

“You got those black jeans and blue blazer that actually fits you right.”

“I’m running out of excuses here,” he sighed, dropping his head in defeat even though she couldn’t see him.

“I guess you just have to show up then,” she replied triumphantly. 

Quentin grimaced to himself. He pulled the phone away from his ear to see if Eliot texted him. Why did he feel guilty about going to a singles mixer? He was single. They were just talking. The last person he dated was Alice and that was ages ago. Now they were at that point in their relationship where she was asking him to be her wingman.

“One hour,” he settled, lifting his free hand from Jane. His cat gave him a small, betrayed look and he scratched under her chin in a silent apology.

“I’ll send you the address. Thanks again, Quentin! Drive safe,” she hung up before he had the chance to respond. The nerves were clearly getting to her.

Fuck.

—-

He walked through all the cars parked in the driveway and the closer he got to the front door the more he wished he didn’t have to go. The bottle of wine in his hands felt too cheap and he looked too underdressed. He hated parties like these and he knew that Alice preferred more intimate settings but she was definitely putting herself out of her comfort zone. And for her sake he should at least try.

Eliot would fit in so well at these parties. He had such ease talking to strangers, from the stories he told Quentin about work. He hasn’t said exactly where he worked and that’s confused Quentin to no end. Eliot claimed that his job was an instant panties dropper. Porn? Quentin got goosebumps at the thought because he knew if that were the case he’d be watching everything he was involved in.

Quentin brushed his hair behind his ear and looked down at his phone. It was becoming such a bad habit, but he was constantly looking forward to a text from Eliot. And there it was.

**From: Eliot**

**Hey, you want Facetime? Was supposed to go to a party with a friend but bailed.**

**Look too good to not be seen. ;)**

Quentin looked at the house grimly, trying to figure out a way to run in and run out. There seemed to be a lot of people crammed in the living room in front of the house and he saw Alice through the glass window. She was animatedly talking to a woman who he couldn’t see and she was smiling so widely. Between the stress at work and school, neither of them were having much fun. This was the most at ease as she ever looked. She was going to do just fine without him at this party. Quentin smiled lightly and turned around. 

As he walked down the sidewalk to go back home he called Eliot who answered after three rings. And he wasn’t lying, he looked very good. He had to have been wearing a little bit of makeup and Quentin was the last person to judge about those sort of things. His cheeks were shimmering and there was definitely some eyeliner involved. Quentin grinned widely. 

“You want to walk me home?”

Eliot’s voice enveloped Quentin in a familiar warmth instantly. “Well, I am a gentleman.”

“We both know that’s a lie.”

Both of their laughs echoed down the empty street.

\---

Marina and Julia set their paper bags filled with groceries on the kitchen counter and Marina sighed as she inspected the amount of food they bought. “When I was a kid, my parents would just make those sugar cookies that come in tubes for Christmas. And that was enough. You and Quentin go all out.”

“It’s tradition! We used to bake the cookies together but he constantly burnt them-“ 

Marina snorted and said something like ‘typical’. 

“And I enjoy baking them more! This is the first year you actually have time to decorate with us.” she took out a bag of sprinkles from the bag and shook them in front of Marina. She was rather cute when she was excited. And they were typically the nerdy things that her brother liked too. Marina found them lame but adorable at the same time. Julia moreso for obvious reasons.

“Yay,” Marina said weakly, a smirk forming on her face. 

“Don’t be mean. We’re going to have fun whether you like or not, so chin up girl,” she grabbed the rolling pin from the counter and used the handle to nudge Marina’s chin upwards.

Her girlfriend gasped and slowly smiled like the Cheshire cat. “I love when you get bossy with me! How much time do we have before your brother gets here?”

“Not enough babe, keep your skirt on.” Julia rolled her eyes and continued unloading the ingredients. Marina huffed but helped her put away the refrigerated products. Soon she sat down at their little breakfast bar as she watched her girlfriend finish up. When they first started dating she let Julia take care of everything, she was used to talking people into doing things for her. Julia wasn’t going to let that fly though and Marina was forced to help when she could. And after a few months of dating, she was beginning to like it. It made Julia happy and that’s what she wanted in the end.

She plucked an apple from the fruit bowl and rubbed it against a nearby tea towel. “Look at us all domesticated. Back in the day you would have fucked me on the table. Perhaps with that roller.” Marina tilted her head, not giving up whether she was kidding or not.

Julia’s jaw dropped and Marina could barely hold it together for a minute before breaking into a fit of laughter. Her chin dropped into her hand and stared directly into her eyes.

“Unless...”

“Stop it,” Julia shook her head but she was laughing as well. The doorbell rang and Marina hopped up from her seat and held out her hand to stop Julia from answering it. 

“Please, allow me. I haven’t seen our boy in a while,” Marina began to walk out of the kitchen until Julia grabbed her forearm. 

“Don’t bring up the potential blind date we’ve got for him. He’s skittish and he’ll find an excuse to leave,” Julia pleaded, sounding serious. If there was a word Marina could use to describe the other woman it was selfless. But she put Marina and Quentin above everyone else. Quentin took care of her so now it felt like her duty to make him happy.

“I would never dream of taking that away from you, cupid,” Marina pinched Julia’s cheek and walked out of the room. 

Quentin was texting on his phone when she answered the door and looked startled for a man who had only knocked a moment before. Marina found him ridiculous but endearing at the same time. She leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest. “Password?”

He looked extremely uncomfortable before looking over her shoulder, “Julia?”

“You’re no fun,” she huffed and let him in. She followed him as he walked into the kitchen without a proper greeting from either of them. It really didn’t matter though, Julia jumped into his arms and they hugged tightly in front of her. Marina didn’t have siblings growing up. Her parents weren’t around much either. Family gatherings were always incredibly rare to her and these two were close. She felt like she was learning a lot about normal family relationships because of them. “I’m going to go wash my hands,” she stepped back from the pair, leaving the kitchen. 

They could catch up without her, she didn’t need to know everything that was going on in that little nerd’s life. Quentin was in school and he was working. She remembered the days where she was doing the same. Nothing eventful really happened and she didn’t need to live that life again through Quentin’s probable whining.

She took her sweet time washing her hands. To make sure they were clean enough for the cookies of course. She touched up her lipstick and adjusted her hair once more before making her way back into the kitchen.

Quentin and Julia were already rolling out the dough for the sugar cookies. How long was she gone? They were talking animatedly as Quentin inspected the cookie cutter shapes, soon settling on the shape of a Christmas tree. Marina was eyeing the candy cane shape, quickly berating herself for even caring. She still snatched the cutter before Quentin could, spinning it on her finger.

“What were you two talking about? Dreams of gingerbread and sugar plums?” she dropped the cookie cutter in front of her.

“That’s not actually how it goes-” Quentin began but was quickly stopped by an elbow to the side by Julia. He huffed and grabbed his phone. Shooting off a quick text, Marina could assume. Julia’s eyebrow arched and she gave her girlfriend a look. This hasn’t happened since Quentin was dating Alice and they were texting constantly. But he didn’t look as happy as he did right there. He was smiling so widely it was actually scaring Marina. 

“Quentin Coldwater, did you become someone’s boytoy?” Marina sounded pleased and leaned over the counter between them. She reached out and grabbed Quentin’s phone, not pulling it out of his grip though.

He gave her a look of disbelief and she gave him a sharp smile. 

“Who are you talking to?”

“It’s not our business,” Julia used what Marina called her ‘mom-voice’ and Marina sat back without putting up a fight. 

“Can’t I care about what’s going on with your brother?” she shrugged, dusting the sugar off of her hands and leaning over to cut part of the dough. “You’re always so worried he’s lonely. He looks like how I look when I’m texting you.” Marina knew to turn on the sap with Julia when she was growing annoyed with her.

It worked a little because Julia’s expression softened. Quentin’s eyes darted between the two and he let out a loud sigh. “I’m dating someone...”

Marina’s eyebrows furrowed and maybe it was the job but she felt like he was lying for some reason. Why would he lie? It may have been to make Julia stop worrying about him and Marina wasn’t going to call him out for that reason. “Are they hot?”

“Marina!” Julia gave her a shocked look and she only shrugged in response. She turned her attention back to her forgotten apple to stop saying interrupting. It was going to be fun to watch Quentin lie and dig himself into a hole. “How did you two meet? What do they do?”

Quentin put his phone back into his pocket and took over from Marina to cut the dough to make cookies, delicately putting the shapes onto a sheet. “He came over to the store after rescuing a cat. He’s just the stereotypical firefighter.”

It was all so amusing, Marina smiled as she chewed. He might as well just say he had a girlfriend in Canada. Julia and her had both known he was interested in men and women for a year now. Marina was definitely not as nervous coming out. She wanted to shock as many people as she could, to be honest. Perhaps it’s why she was such an exhibitionist. “Do you have a picture?” she asked. Maybe she was a bit sadistic too.

He shook his head and it wasn’t hard for Julia to believe that. Quentin wasn’t very interested in taking pictures. “When can we meet him?”

“We’re just… starting. But soon! I promise. He’s going to love you two,” he finished the cookies and distracted himself by putting them into the oven. Quentin was way more fidgety than normal.

Marina threw her apple core into the trash with ease before giving Quentin all of her attention again. He seemed to be shrinking from his lies and it only made Marina feel like she was going to be the best kind of prosecutor one day. 

“Everybody loves hot lesbians,” Marina ignored the appalled look from Julia. “Now get the icing ready guys, I’m ready to smoke you all with my decorating skills.”

\--- 

Eliot tapped his bottom lip thoughtfully as he stared at the options for wine. A red, it was definitely a red kind of night but which kind? He really didn’t want to go home and find himself disappointed with what he brought with him. Margo could tease him all she wanted, he just had a very special palette! Maybe an oak aged Zinfandel? He tapped his food impatiently at the grocery store and decided to take a break from the wine and focus on the cheese instead. He could work from there. With the entire day off tomorrow, he needed to make tonight special. Even if he was alone.

He decided to just drink what was left at home and sighed as he left the wine section. He didn’t want to leave with a case, this grocery store was definitely going to worry about him if he did that twice in one week.

His basket swung absently at his side and he paused for a second when he saw the familiar figure ahead of him. “Quentin Coldwater, what are the odds that we’re both stalking each other?” He stared down at the other man’s cart after shooting him an amused look.

A pack of wheat tortillas. Three pounds of value shredded cheese. A pint of vanilla ice cream. A typical single man who can’t cook. And Quentin looking comfortably cute in his oversized sweater with holes on the sleeves. Eliot wouldn’t be caught dead in a ratty outfit in public but with Quentin it was incredibly adorable.

Quentin still seemed to be pondering a response, slightly thrown off by the encounter. “Or we’re just hungry at the same time.” Eliot chuckled at Quentin’s retort.

“You must be starving if this if the meal of choice….” Eliot couldn’t help but pick on the shorter man and he also couldn’t help but notice the small blush forming over his cheeks. “I mean, you do have your calcium intake for the day. What every growing boy needs.”

“Could I get in trouble for kicking a firefighter?” Quentin teased right back and Eliot’s eyebrows shot up. This man was full of surprises and Eliot was drawn to him whether he liked it or not.

“I dare you to do it and find out,” Eliot took a step closer, his hand gripping onto the side of his cart.

Quentin laughed lightly and Eliot was so confused as to why that excited him so much. He wanted to keep making the other man laugh and smile. There was something about the lines along his eyes that were oddly comforting. Eliot had a very strict skin routine to avoid wrinkles but the little creases on Quentin’s face when he smiled was so very endearing. The man was endearing and comfortable and made Eliot feel so warm. He had no idea what to do, he only ever felt as strongly for Margo and that was on another kind of spectrum.

“I don’t think I’d do well in prison,” Quentin’s tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth. He absently rolled the cart back and forth and Eliot wondered if he always had this nervous kind of energy. Something about Quentin felt genuine though, what see is what you get kind of thing. 

Eliot needed his layers of defense. It took him decades to become the man he was and he was rarely hurt as much as he used to be. Quentin was a lot more raw.

“They’d eat you alive,” Eliot smirked, he wanted a taste himself. Consensually, of course.

Quentin only shook his head in response, maybe noting the way the other man was staring at him. Eliot was a careful man but he didn’t bother hiding the desire in his expression. All the texting and the flirting made this so much easier. And it was so much better in person.

“Let me make you a real dinner. This is so sad and I can’t let the man who helped me with my feline issues eat a sad dinner. Karma will come bite me in the ass.” He reached into the cart with his free hand and took out the heavy bag of cheese. Just cheddar? Really Quentin? He didn’t say it aloud, any further and it might have been bullying.

“How about we compromise? Let me buy us some Chinese food,” Quentin offered, grabbing the cheese from Eliot and putting it back neatly on the shelf. It had to be the years of working retail.

Eliot firmly shook his head. “Buy us some wine. Your choice, I promise not to judge harshly. I can’t seem to make up my mind over there. Let me order the food, I know the perfect place.” He was already putting his empty basket in a holder next to them and reached in Quentin’s direction. “Let me plug in my address.”

Quentin absently handed over his phone and noted the way his fingers tingled when they brushed together. Actually he couldn’t help but notice how long Eliot’s fingers were. He couldn’t stop staring. 

“Meet me there in an hour, dear Q,” Eliot winked and handed Quentin his phone. Quentin watched as the man walked away before looking back down at the screen. Eliot was in such a nice part of the neighborhood.

Now it was his turn to agonize in the wine section.

\---

An hour and ten minutes later, Quentin found himself at Eliot’s house. He could lie and say it was hard to park, but the man even had a driveway. Quentin was lucky if someone didn’t steal his parking spot. He sighed and adjusted his sweater before knocking. There wasn’t time to change when he spent a good twenty minutes in the wine section before settling on some middle of the road red blend. The door opened and he found Eliot standing with a different outfit on. Maybe he was wearing his errand clothes before and this was his fancy comfortable chill-at-home outfit? Whatever it was he looked good in that purple button up and black slacks.

Quentin always felt so underdressed with him.

“You’re late,” Eliot announced with no real heat, moving aside so Quentin could enter with his bottle of wine.

“I wish I could say that rarely happens...” Quentin frowned and Eliot didn’t like that much so he bumped his shoulder against him. 

“I’m teasing you, Q. Still have to wait ten minutes until the food gets here. Do you want to open that wine now? I’ve got some cheese, bread and olives we can snack on,” he grabbed the bottle from Quentin but blocked him from walking any further. “Shoes off though, please.”

Quentin kicked them off gracelessly and followed Eliot into the kitchen. He admired the home, even though it was still a bit bare. Eliot did mention that he was flipping the place but between work and the holidays approaching he didn’t have much free time. Quentin understood that feeling well. “Your place is huge,” Quentin said in awe, jaw dropping when he reached the kitchen. It was half the size of his entire apartment. On the table sat a plate with a block of cheese, olives and sliced crusty bread. Quentin never turned down bread and grabbed a slice immediately.

Eliot shot him an amused look. “It was pretty affordable because it’s unfinished. I’m rarely here though,” he said solemnly, grabbing a wine opener from the cabinet and sitting at the stool next to the counter. “I’ve never tried this wine before,” he spoke idly, inspecting the label before opening it up. 

Quentin was tempted to reach out and snatch the bottle back. It definitely didn’t seem worthy enough for this. “Someone who worked at the store recommended it to me. I think they just wanted to get me out of there,” his lips twitched up and he grabbed a green olive from the plate.

Eliot poured them two glasses before shaking his head. “It’s perfect. Sit down, relax. I’m not going to bite,” he patted the stool next to him and Quentin found it too easy to follow his directions. He was just going to give the other man anything he wanted and the thought scared him for a moment. But when Eliot smiled, he felt safe again.

He sat down and popped the olive into his mouth. “Where’s Todd?”

Eliot looked around the kitchen and shrugged. “Causing mischief somewhere else. Don’t worry, he’ll be here to to terrorize you,” he was about to say something else but the knock on the store caused him to drum his palms against the countertop. “Food’s here.” He hopped up and disappeared for a few moments. 

Quentin looked around the kitchen and noted the fancy spice rack and the collection of wines in the corner. This man definitely had a refined palate. Quentin was horrified that the other man saw him with three pounds of shredded cheddar cheese earlier.

“I hope you don’t mind, I ordered for both of us. I forgot to ask you if you had any allergies,” Eliot dropped the bags onto the counter and immediately began to dig out to grab the containers. It felt like he had one of everything: orange chicken, kung pao chicken, beef and broccoli, a mountain of egg rolls and fortune cookies. Quentin tried not to salivate right there.

“Nothing could stop me from shoving egg rolls into my mouth,” Quentin blurted out, ignoring the look Eliot gave him. 

Eliot was in the middle of pouring rice into two plates, biting back a dirty response. Instead he plucked an eggroll from the bag and gingerly handed it to Quentin. “Don’t want to get in the way...”

Dinner was smooth from there. Eliot was so easy to talk to and that was rare for a man like Quentin. Someone this attractive and put together shouldn’t be so friendly. Especially with the mess that was Quentin. He felt comfortable because of the one glass of wine he had (he had to drive) but it did the job. He told Eliot about his goals and his dreams of being a veterinarian. How he wanted to be someone the community could trust with their beloved pets. How one day he wanted to live in a house and adopt a dog, which made Eliot inwardly cringe but he was starting to warm up to the idea with how animatedly Quentin talked about them. 

They were passing each other fortune cookies when the conversation turned more forward and flirtatious. “What does your fortune say?” Eliot asked, peering over Quentin’s shoulder. 

“Something about friendships,” he shrugged, tossing the paper onto the dirty plate and shoving the cookie into his mouth. He was full, but there was always room for a cookie. “How about yours?”

“I’m going to be unlucky for a decade if I don’t kiss the cute boy next to me,” Eliot beamed at the man, both of them surprised by his forwardness. 

“Um. Is Todd around?” Quentin asked, his mind screaming to move but his body unable to budge. It’s been too long since anyone spoken to him like this and he needed to follow this through. The cat in question finally turned up when he said his name, purring around Quentin’s legs. Quentin wanted to pet him but he wanted Eliot to kiss him even more.

“He’s not as cute,” Eliot nudged Quentin’s wine glass away as he began to lean forward. Quentin’s eyes were darting in all directions but Eliot was steady and stared directly at him. He was never as sure as anything as he was right now. 

His hand reached up and cupped Quentin’s cheek, enjoying the light breath he let out at the contact. The nerves seemed to be ebbing away from Quentin. His thumb swiped along his bottom lip and Quentin whispered his name. Eliot leaned forward and gently pressed their lips together and it was definitely the most tame first kiss he’s ever had but nothing ever felt like this before. It felt like a sip of hot cocoa or the feeling you had as you ran to the tree on Christmas morning. The kiss felt like the holidays and he needed to celebrate Quentin. 

Quentin let out a small groan when the sound of a text message interrupted them from going any further. It wasn’t his phone but Eliot’s and the taller man looked crestfallen as he had to pull away. To be continued, he thought briefly. Maybe in the bedroom. 

**From: Mike**

**Omw to virginia! C u soon <3**

It felt like someone dumped a snowball into the back of his shirt and Eliot suddenly felt like a complete monster. What was he doing here? He couldn’t be venturing into this territory without being honest.

Quentin looked at him curiously and a little nervous again. Eliot was a beast. He rubbed the back of his neck and dropped his hand from Quentin’s cheek. “What was that?” 

“Work. I have to go in tomorrow early so-” he didn’t know how to ask Quentin to leave. He didn’t want him to but he needed him to. For both their sakes.

Quentin didn’t mask the frown on his face and nodded. Eliot wanted to explain himself but the other man looked like he was in a hurry to leave by the way he was hastily gathering his messenger bag from the free chair.

“Hey… We’ll talk soon, okay? I’m sorry,” Eliot bit the inside of his cheek, wanting to grab Quentin by his shoulders and kiss him again. It would only make things worse though. 

“Thanks for dinner,” Quentin struggled to say, hazardly slipping his shoes on without putting them on completely. His voice sounded so tight and on the verge of breaking. This was all Eliot’s fault because he was a coward.

“I’ll text you-” he tried but the front door slammed in his face. Eliot rubbed his face roughly before looking down at Todd. “I fucked up, didn’t I?”

He didn’t need to say anything, Eliot already knew the answer.


	2. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Art Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beautiful artwork from the talented MalicesRose!


	3. He Strays

“Staring at your phone isn’t going to get him to text any faster,” Alice said lightly, not lifting her gaze from her notes. The final exam was tomorrow and this was their last chance to skim through everything. She felt as ready as she could be but she was doing this for Quentin. And he was constantly looking at his phone, it was all rather annoying but at the same time, she felt kind of bad. It was hard for him to connect with someone this way. The last time he did it was with well, her. They could worry about dates after the exam! Alice was good at time management. She took his phone from him and shoved it in her purse. 

“I could be getting a very important text from Julia,” he tried but she lifted her chin. 

“Has he texted you since that night?” she asked firmly and he knew he was going to win this battle.

“No…”

“Have you texted him?

“Also no,” he said through gritted teeth. He knew where this was going and it made his heart clench. Were things really over with Eliot? It didn’t feel like they even started. He bit the inside of his cheek and ultimately relented, letting Alice keep his phone.

“He could just be busy,” she tried but he shook his head to stop her.

“Let’s just focus on studying. We only have twenty minutes left on break and I need to eat my Poptart,” he reached into his jacket pocket for the only food he had the energy to pack with him. He wasn’t completely unable to do anything because of the silent treatment. Relationships came second to his future career, however, it was still in the back of his head. 

She winced and looked down at the stir-fry she made last night with her girlfriend. “You want to split?”

“I can’t eat your food,” there was a hint of a whine in his voice. Was he really so helpless?

“Don’t be silly,” she cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. “You’re giving me a Poptart.”

“It’s chocolate,” he mentioned, his voice wary. He did a lot of stupid things but he still had his pride. Even if he lost everything, he wanted to keep that. He always wanted to be someone his father would be proud of and since his father loved him more than anyone that just meant he needed to be proud of himself.

“Even better,” she beamed, opening the lid of her container and setting the food between them. She also put the fork next to it, motioning for him to eat because this was Alice and of course she had a spare fork in her lunch bag. She did bring a lunch bag after all. “Let’s get to work now, I can’t afford to fail.”

“You’re not going to fail,” he grabbed the fork and stabbed at a piece of broccoli. She wasn’t known for her cooking so who helped her make this? It was seasoned to perfection. Alice had a lot of talents but like Quentin, cooking wasn’t one of them. 

“Neither of us are. We’re going to graduate and open our own hospital, remember? Matching scrubs,” she reached over and put her hand over his.

“Matching scrubs,” he smiled at the childish promise they made each other ages ago but even now it sounded like a great idea. A rare instance where the future didn’t freak him out. 

She broke a corner of the Poptart and hummed as she started chewing. “I haven’t had these in years!”

“I only eat breakfast all day,” he shrugged and reached out to grab her cards. “Okay. Let’s help me pass this class.”

“You’re going to pass, Quentin. I’m certain of it,” she patted his forearm and took the cards from him.

Their break only lasted another fifteen minutes before they had to pack up and get back to work. Quentin felt slightly more confident than before but not by much. The exam was tomorrow and there was nothing much left to do. He needed a distraction or he would worry all night . 

“You want to do something after work?” He asked Alice when they made it back onto the sales floor.

“We need to sleep before the exam, Quentin,” she shook her head. It was a very Alice answer. She probably had a nightly ritual for the day before her exams and they’d been working for her this long. She’d set the curve so high for all their classes to the point where classmates hated her but Quentin just admired her.

“How about after the test?”

She adjusted the strap on her apron and frowned apologetically. “I’ve got a date with Margo. You would have met her if you came to the party like you said you would.” The tone of her voice proved that she wasn’t upset about it though.

“I panicked,” he pursed his lips together and focused on fixing a few cans on the shelf. “It sounds like it went well. She seems good for you.”

Alice’s cheeks flushed and her eyes darted around to make sure no one was around. She was private when it came to her social life. “She’s just so hot,” she blurted out, covering her mouth after the admission. She was smiling behind her hand though.

“Oh?” He urged on, his lips curling into a small smile. This conversation would have made him uncomfortable a few years ago but he liked how their relationship was now. 

“A golden goddess,” she sighed, almost dreamily and Quentin knew that she’d never thought about anyone this way. Or liked anyone else like this. He wasn’t jealous because he wanted her back, but he was jealous. He wanted to feel like that again. For a minute, he did. Eliot made him so nervous and content at the same time and yet it felt like the floor was pulled out from beneath him with how quickly it ended. 

It didn’t matter. Relationships were distracting and he could try again when he was settled in his future job. People still dated in their late forties, he would remind himself. “Pics?”

“For my eyes only,” she said firmly and that was the end of the conversation. It was a nice distraction from the impending doom that was tomorrow.

\---

The living room was quiet and Eliot was determined to finish his bottle of wine and pass out on the couch. It was the red wine that Quentin picked out the week before, the one he had been too embarrassed to take out before. Eliot had just opened the bottle an hour before to give it some air even though he was certain it was an average priced bottle that didn’t need that kind of work. And yet, since Quentin was the one who bought it, the bottle was special again.

Eliot poured himself a glass and stared at the rich red liquid. It smelled good, at least. Perhaps a little fruity for his taste but otherwise it would get the job done. Which tonight meant he wanted to get drunk and recount all the mistakes he made with the boy who gifted him with the bottle.

He took a sip and smiled bitterly. It would do the job quite well. He stared down at Todd who managed to stare right back at him with perhaps a hint of disappointment? Eliot wasn’t going to take that from his cat.

“What?” He asked, voice a bit snippy.

Todd’s tail flicked.

“You know, you’re a judgemental little bastard but I’ve grown accustomed to you,” he continued, unsure of why he was talking to a cat but he didn’t stop.

Todd’s tail flicked again.

“Don’t be _that_ guy Todd. No one likes that guy,” Eliot sighed and took another sip from his drink. It was during that moment that his door opened without a knock and he had a guest.

“Mike…” he drawled slowly, unsure if he should stand up or not. Mike came over and all but sat on his lap, pressing a kiss to his jawline. Eliot’s eyes fluttered shut at the contact, he did like being kissed there. But he would have rather the lips belong to someone else. He cleared his throat and pressed his hands to Mike’s cheeks, pulling him over to look into his eyes. “What are you doing here?”

“Wanted to surprise you, baby,” he shrugged and pressed a kiss to Eliot’s lips . Eliot reciprocated weakly. 

“I thought you said this time of year was your busiest…”

“I would be the worst kind of boyfriend if I left you alone for the holidays!”

Eliot hesitated, unsure of when they started using that label on their relationship but it was too far gone to change now. Eliot blamed himself, he was always subpar when it came to communication.

“I knew you were busy-“

“What the hell is that? I didn’t take you as the type to have pets,” Mike wrinkled his nose at Todd, who was only quietly observing the pair.

With his damn tail flicking.

“Oh- isn’t he cute? I found him outside-“

“You’re not going to keep him, right? You know how my allergies are.”

Eliot did not know. In fact, Mike seemed fine since he got there. But there was something keeping him from speaking up: guilt. 

Mike nodded and seemed to be thinking hard, his lips pursed together before he ultimately smiled. “My dad can find a home for him. He probably knows a ton of people who would take this guy in,” this time he directed his smile at the cat but it felt disingenuous.

“I don’t know. I’ve really grown to like him,” he smiled at Todd and earned a head tilt. If he wasn’t holding onto Mike’s hips he would have scratched under his chin. Quentin told him that cats loved that. He knew that Quentin wouldn’t like this exchange at all and he wished he was here to help him. He just wished he was here, period.

“But you’re so busy, babe,” Mike said sweetly, his hand softly stroking Eliot’s cheek. “You’ve got work as a firefighter full time. And then you’re flipping this house. Your plate is full and you can’t be burning yourself at both ends.”

Eliot agreed that maybe he didn’t have much free time but he wasn’t on board completely until:

“Are you sure you can give this cat his best life?”

Eliot’s entire expression fell and his heart dropped. Todd was an affectionate cat who needed his love to be reciprocated. Maybe Eliot should be content being the one who saved his life, now someone else could take over. Someone else could enjoy Todd and Todd could be truly taken care of by someone who knew what they were doing. “I guess not,” he said, voice hollow.

Mike seemed to ignore the disappointment and pressed a kiss to Eliot’s temple. “My dad will find him the best home, okay? Now get ready, we can go see him now. Do you have a crate or leash or anything?”

Eliot shook his head, still numb to what was happening.

Mike rolled his eyes and hopped up off of his lap. “Looks like I’m driving because I’m not touching that thing.” He couldn’t handle the complete disdain in Mike’s voice.

“Wait, we have to go now?” Eliot frowned as his hands dropped to his sides. He felt defeated. He wanted to hold Todd tightly against his chest because that would soothe him at the same time he knew he would feel incredibly guilty about it. This entire thing was making him feel sick.

“Well I want to sleep over and that isn’t going to work if he’s here.” Mike hopped off of Eliot’s lap and rubbed his hands on his thighs. This was the first time he’d seen the man in months and this was their first encounter. No dinner or catching up. No rush to the bedroom. Mike wouldn’t do anything until Todd was gone. Maybe Todd would find a home where the owner didn’t make such selfish decisions.

“Okay. Let’s take my car,” he sighed heavily, taking his time standing up because he knew this wasn’t right but he couldn’t put up much of a fight when it came to Mike. He was an utter pushover when it came to the man who made him so vulnerable.

He leaned over and picked up the curious cat, finally scratching under his chin. Todd purred happily, of course, Quentin was right about that. What would he say when he found out Eliot got rid of the cat ? Todd was the reason he found Quentin in the first place.

Mike grabbed the keys on the hook next to the door and looked on impatiently. “We have to hurry this up though, babe. I’m getting hungry and you know I get hangry.”

Eliot winced, hating that word and hating that he agreed with this in the first place. It was only supposed to be temporary anyway, it was his fault for growing attached. 

Ignoring the lump in his throat, Eliot hugged the cat close to his chest as they walked out the front door.

\---

“What are we doing here?” Eliot asked weakly, staring out his passenger window. Mike had just driven the three of them to the pet shop. Of course, it was the pet shop that Quentin worked at, fate had to be a total and complete bitch like that. He looked between the building and Mike in complete disbelief while inwardly chanting to himself: ‘Please don’t be working, Quentin. Please.’

“My dad owns the place. They sell cats,” Mike shrugged after he parked and killed the engine. 

“Adopt cats,” Eliot corrected, absently scratching behind Todd’s ears. He tried to picture him in a cage, waiting to find a home along with other cats when he already had one. Eliot could fix this. Todd might have deserved a better home than with Eliot but he didn’t need to be here.

“Whatever. Let’s go?” Mike didn’t wait for the answer, instead, he hopped out of the car and began to walk over to the shop. Mike never told him much about his family, he always alluded to having parents out of the country so Eliot didn’t know what was true anymore. Eliot hid his past and parts of himself he didn’t want to reveal. Mike hid a lot about himself too but instead of secrets, he had his lies.

“Just be patient with me Todd. You’re not staying here,” he pressed a kiss to the top of Todd’s head and he was surprised at the loud purr that followed. Todd was being oddly calm about the entire thing, letting Eliot hold him this long. Maybe he would freak out as soon as they got into the shop. Eliot would if he was a cat. He reluctantly stepped out of the car and made his way towards the store. Every step closer felt heavier and more difficult. He really didn’t want to go through with this. He hoped Quentin wouldn’t be there he didn’t need the judgment. Eliot was disappointed in himself for getting this far.

With a deep breath, he walked into the shop and saw Quentin helping a customer. Luckily Mike was nowhere to be seen, probably already talking to his dad and setting up the kennel right then and there. Eliot needed to get Quentin away from there, he didn’t want him to know he made it this far with the stupid idea of giving the cat up. 

If he knew that Quentin was going to try to avoid him, Eliot wouldn’t have approached him when their eyes connected. Quentin looked nervous and like he wanted to be anywhere but there between Eliot and a shelf full of canned tuna. “Quentin… It’s been a while.”

“Yeah well-” Quentin was going to give him a piece of his mind but his eyes connected with the cat looking perfectly content in Eliot’s arms. “Is that Todd?”

A buffer, Eliot realized and he was thankful. “He needed a walk,” his lips twitched up into a smile, trying to lighten the mood. He hated that Quentin was this uncomfortable with him.

“Without a harness?”

“They have those for cats?”

Quentin laughed and shook his head. It was at Eliot’s expense but he couldn’t get himself to care. He just missed seeing Quentin and he missed his smile. His own lips twitched upwards in spite of the situation. Would it be out of the question to grab Quentin’s hand and just run out of the place? He was sure his blonde friend would block them at the door, she was looking on from the register. And she looked wary of Eliot and he could understand why.

“Eliot, babe. My dad’s going to take him,” Mike announced as he stood next to the pair. He suspiciously looked between Eliot and Quentin. He didn’t seem to like that the pair were acting so friendly.

“Take who?” Quentin’s eyes narrowed before the realization dawned over him. And the look of disappointment on his face hurt more than any fire he had to take out. Eliot knew he fucked up. He held Todd tighter against his chest, wanting to explain that he had a change of heart. Todd was apart of his family now. He didn’t know if he had to apologize for Mike or Todd first. He was too overwhelmed though and only looked on helplessly as Quentin huffed and stormed off.

Eliot just needed Quentin to know that he wasn’t a terrible person, but he didn’t even know if that was true anymore.

“He works here?” Mike asked, innocently enough. Eliot nodded numbly, watching as Quentin whispered something to the blonde lady before making his way into the backroom. The man was refusing to look in their direction, his jaw was clenched and his fingers were twitching at his sides. He looked incredibly tense and Eliot was completely responsible for it. “He’s not very friendly.”

“I’m keeping the cat, Mike,” he mumbled, not in the mood for a fight even though he noticed the spark in Mike’s eyes. Instead, he walked the opposite direction and left the shop before anything could get any worse.

“I just have to talk to my dad real quick,” Mike called out. Eliot paid it no mind. He still had Todd and Todd made him feel like he still had a chance. If he had overheard the conversation his boyfriend was having with his father, maybe he wouldn’t be so hopeful.

\---

Eliot still felt guilty the next day. He saw the look of disappointment on Quentin’s face every time he shut his eyes. Sometimes he even just pictured him at his side, confused as to why he would try to dump a cat at his job when Quentin worked so hard to take care of his own. Work was going to drag today because all he wanted to do was leave and apologize to Quentin. Apologize for leading him on and apologize for pretending to be a good person. He tried, he really tried. He often wondered if he took on this job just to cancel out all the stupid things he’d done in his life. The good deeds could cancel out the bad, he hoped.

He sat in the breakroom and stared up at the ceiling. It was rare for him to zone out like this, he was usually doing stupid things on his phone but his mood was noticeable to everyone around. His coworkers were shooting confused glances to each other before one of them decided to break the awkward silence. 

“Are you hungover or something?” Kady asked from her spot at the other side of the table. She was reading a book before but now it was turned over on the table. It was odd for Kady to get involved in other people’s problems so he must have looked incredibly troubled.

“Or something,” he replied dully before finally turning his attention to the couple across from him. Kady and Penny liked to act like they weren’t dating but he had a boning radar and they were going at it like rabbits. The sleeping quarters smelled like sex on more than one occasion. He was thoroughly entertained most of the time by it but right now he didn’t need a pep talk. 

“Fine then, don’t tell us,” Penny sighed and leaned back in his seat. He sounded pleased that this conversation wasn’t going any further. He could go back to doing- staring off into space? Staring at Kady? Eliot honestly didn’t pay attention to him since he found out he wasn’t even slightly attracted to other men. What was the point?

“There’s this guy,” Eliot began, ignoring the way Penny groaned and dropped his face into his hands. Kady nodded, silently urging him to continue. “Not Mike.”

“Fucking hell, that guy is the worst,” Penny said behind his hands and Kady nodded again, this time in agreement. Mike came to several fundraisers for the fire station and from what Eliot could tell, no one he worked with liked him. They acted friendly when he was around but mostly they were all trying to get away. Margo tried to break them up when they first met, she always felt like she knew better. And perhaps this time she did. Eliot did have a good time with Mike in the beginning, but now he was starting to regret the entire relationship.

“His name is Quentin and he’s the biggest nerd I’ve ever met,” he said affectionately. “And last night I ruined everything.”

“Then un-ruin it,” Penny pressed his hands on the table and looked like he wished he had the ability to fast forward through this entire conversation. Eliot wished for that too.

“Eliot, I’ve never seen you analyze anything this much before. You like Quentin or something?” Kady ignored Penny’s reactions and drummed her fingers against the cover of her book. When she wanted to be, Kady could be a good listener. Eliot never got to experience firsthand if she was any good at advice. But Margo was busy getting ready for a date and Eliot would take any advice he could get right now. 

He gulped down the lump in his throat and nodded. 

“Get out of here and go talk to him. This obviously means something to you, so give it a shot. We’re overstaffed right now anyways. And you’re more useless than usual when you’re distracted,” Kady started to pick up her book like her word was law and he had to scramble away right then and there.

He stared at her dumbly as she started reading again and Penny glared at him. His cue to leave at last. “Thank you?” he said aloud, but the pair ignored him. Eliot left the room without another word. Those assholes really cared about him.

—-

He parked in front of the pet store, because of course Quentin would be there. He was always working, studying or at school. The semester was ending this week from what he could remember so that narrowed his whereabouts to two different places. And the sun was still up, so it had to be here.

The shop was busy, people shopping for their usual pet supplies as well as the holiday items. ‘Would Todd wear a Christmas sweater?’ he thought idly but he had to focus. Quentin.

He found the familiar blonde that seemed to always be around Quentin and walked right over to her. She was staring right back at him with a- a glare? He felt more unsure about talking to her with every step but it was too late to stop. He would brave it out to fix things. “Is Quentin working today? I really need to talk to him.”

Her arms crossed over her chest and she held a defensive stance. What the hell happened last night? Did Quentin tell her something? “He’s not here,” she said curtly. Her gaze was so cold, he felt his core start to turn to ice. She reminded him of someone… Margo. She never did look at him like that and he was thankful. He was so weak. Margo would be proud of her though.

“Where is he?”

“Fired. Your little boyfriend complained about him to his daddy and got him fired. Quentin really needed this job, you two really screwed things up for him,” she snapped, face turning red with anger and she quickly glanced around the aisle to make sure no one was eavesdropping. She looked like she would slap him across the face and with what had happened last night, Eliot would understand. 

His heart dropped in his chest and he was stunned. The sounds of people talking and dogs barking around him were drowned out by the sound of blood rushing in his head. “I didn’t know- He didn’t say anything- I can fix this,” he tried, brushing his hair back in an attempt to calm his nerves.

She obviously didn’t believe him and while Eliot was glad someone was protective over Quentin, he just wished he didn’t have this barrier between them. “You broke his heart and made him lose his job. Leave him alone.”

“I care about him, okay? He’s funny and he’s genuine and he cares so much. He works so hard and I swear, I never wanted to make his life any harder than it is. Please give me the chance to fix this,” he tried again and he noted the way her face softened with every word. Not completely open to him, but he could understand why.

“You know… he’s changed a lot since he’s met you. He was actually pretty happy for a while. Until the silent treatment,” she bit her bottom lip, unsure of what would be best for Quentin.

“I have feelings for him,” he admitted for the first time out loud or even to himself. 

Her eyes widened and she looked just as shocked as he felt. “But you have a boyfriend…”

“Soon to be ex. I swear, even if Quentin doesn’t want to pursue anything. He’s not who I thought he was,” he rubbed his palms against his face, ignoring Margo’s voice telling him about the dirt going into his pores. “I just want to talk to him,” he finished in a small voice.

She held up a finger and walked away. Eliot stood helplessly as he waited for her to come back. He just spent the last few minutes begging and he never resorted to that. With Mike he was stuck with his bad habits, but with Quentin he saw a growth he didn’t know he was capable off. He just had to do a lot of groveling before he had the chance.

The blonde appeared a moment later with a piece of paper with an address written neatly in cursive. “Don’t make me regret this.”

“You won’t-“ he glanced down at her name tag as he grabbed at the paper, “Alice.”

She didn’t let go of the paper though. Instead she gave him a hard look. “You make things even harder for him and I will ruin you.”

Normally this was the part where he would say something sarcastic and ruin it all, but instead he quietly nodded. “Thanks again,” he tried again and got the paper.

With a tight smile, he left the pet shop with goosebumps running along his arms.

\---

  
  


The shift felt like it was never going to end and the pet shop was lacking customers. Normally Alice didn’t stare at the clock like this, because time would never move fast enough while working. She’d been working retail long enough now, it was the Golden Rule to look at the clock as rarely as possible, because the amount of time you worked versus the amount of time you _felt_ you worked would leave you sobbing. And yet she kept thinking about her extra outfit hanging in the breakroom. A black A-line dress with a white collar that Quentin referred to once as her ‘Wednesday Addams Dress’. She thought it was a cute, little thing and noted that he had terrible taste. 

Plus she felt like it really did a good job showing her thighs.

The six hour shift felt like twenty but when it was time to go she grabbed her new outfit and reluctantly changed in the employee bathroom. She played with her hair a bit when she was finished getting dressed, wondering if she should have done something else with it. She normally wore it up for work, but now it was resting neatly on her shoulders. Looking at her watch, she decided that it was good enough. She still had to get to the cafe for the date. And it was cold out so the walk would be freezing. Alice ignored the curious gazes from her coworkers and left the shop.

Alice’s arms crossed over her chest as she made her way along the sidewalk, the brisk air felt like constant slaps against her cheeks. It was brutally cold this time of year and she wondered if earth was orbiting further away from the sun every winter. It was the only thing that made sense on days when she felt like she was about to become a human popsicle. And this light blue peacoat was doing very little to protect her. Sacrifices had to be made to look good though, and she was kind of desperate to show off to Margo. Getting the other woman’s attention was growing rather addicting.

The smell of freshly baked bread began to warm her up before she even walked into the bakery. Quentin took her to this place a few times back when they were dating, but she was more excited to make new memories with the woman sitting so calm and collected at the small wooden table next to the window. Margo looked so comfortable, one hand holding a hot mug of coffee and chin resting in her other one. Her lips twitched up when she saw Alice and Alice felt her heart thud in her chest. It’s how she felt when they were texting as well.

“Quite the tundra out there,” Margo said casually, but the way she was glancing Alice up and down was playful. Alice was the one who was dressed up but Margo wore her cop uniform and bulky jacket with elegance. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and Alice couldn’t stop staring right back. “Are you going to sit? You are aware they have seats, right?” Margo couldn’t help but tease and Alice let out a small scoff as she sat across from her.

“You come right from work?” Alice asked, hands running over the front of the small plastic menu set in front of her. She bit the inside of her cheek and glanced down at the selection of food. Her brother always liked to tease that whenever there were written words in front of her, Alice was going to read them all. Right now though, it was a good distraction from nerves. She hadn’t been on a date in a long time and she felt incredibly overdressed.

“Busy week. It’s the most wonderful time of year,” Margo shrugged, leaning back against her chair. “Petty shoplifters. Most of them just kids and I get to scare them all straight. All these punk kids think they’re Aladdin, but it’s more of a Bling Ring Club. Honestly though, it’s a lot more fun than the things I typically have to do.”

“And that is?”

“Paperwork,” Margo exaggerated an eye roll, but from what Alice learned through texts and the rare meeting was that Margo was theatrical. The complete opposite of Alice, in that way. But they were both similar in a lot of other ways. They were both incredibly intelligent and ambitious. And competitive, which is always fun in a relationship for Alice. “But I don’t even want to think about work when I’m not working.”

“What do you want to think about?” Alice teased, lips twitching up as she leaned forward. She noted the spark in Margo’s eyes. They both liked to play.

“Oh. Just you in that Christmas teddy,” Margo began and Alice’s face instantly flushed but she didn’t want her to stop talking. “I wanna see how nice it moves while you’re bouncing on my dick.”

Alice’s fingers clenched on the plastic menu and she squirmed in her seat. It’s not like this talk was new to her, they were chatting on the phone like this for ages. It was just different to hear it while looking at Margo. She was smirking and it was intensely _hot_.

Someone cleared their throat and Alice instantly stared down at her menu. She didn’t want to someone to see her looking this raw. Luckily she did wear her hair down, because it was the perfect curtain for this situation. “Hey Margo. Who’s the lucky lady?”

Alice’s gaze lifted at this question and she stared Margo down who was surprisingly looking right back. There was a silent question being asked by the look but Alice didn’t want to answer it right there. Not like this. “My name is Alice,” she cut in before Margo had the chance to answer, smiling politely at the man beside their table. She’d seen him there before but he seemed to already know Margo.

“I’m Josh,” he beamed down at her before clasping his hands in front of him. “Now what can I get for you two?”

“Mama wants a breakfast croissant,” Margo handed him the menu, not seeming to mind that it was lunch time. Josh seemed used to it and nodded, looking at Alice expectantly.

“I’ll have the same,” Alice nodded, not even remembering what was on the sandwich, she just needed the man to leave. He took their menus with a small bow and went to go back their food.

Margo leaned forward with her elbows on the table and her fingers interlacing together. She studied Alice for a few moments before letting out a sigh and it sounded nervous. “We used to fuck,” she admitted, eyes flickering in Josh’s direction.

Alice looked at the man in the kitchen, eyebrow arching. She would be lying if she said she was completely unfazed by it, he didn’t look like her type. Alice didn’t feel like she could date someone as beautiful as Margo either though. She shrugged, acting nonchalant about it. “He seems nice...”

“He has a really sweet girlfriend too. We had a thing too,” Margo pushed on, surprisingly at a loss for words afterwards.

“Why are you telling me this now?” Alice asked, her voice sounding small to her. She hated sounding so weak but she was utterly confused when the tone of their conversation flipped. 

“Because I fucked around a lot. I made a lot of stupid decisions in the name of having fun. I’m telling you this because,” she paused and reached out for Alice’s wrist, gripping it lightly before Alice moved their hands to interlock their fingers. Margo seemed so exposed and open, it took her breath away. “I want more with you than that, Alice.”

“Like a relationship?” Alice asked, a small hint of hope in her voice.

Margo made a face before nodding. She clearly wasn’t one for these sappy chats but she was making an effort and Alice appreciated that. “Of course, I still want to fuck you too,” she grinned sharply and there it was again, the pool of warmth in her stomach. 

“You know, I’m wearing my Christmas lingerie under here,” Alice’s eyes fluttered between Margo and their joined hands.

Margo looked very impressed and quickly turned in Josh’s direction. “We’re taking them to go!” She called out through the bakery. In the distance Josh snorted and a moment later a brown bag was set between them at the table. 

“A gift for the lovebirds. Have fun and drink lots of water,” Josh teased, walking away before Margo could respond. She was too focused on the way Alice was squirming impatiently in her seat. 

Margo stood up and grabbed Alice’s coat to help her put it on. “Forgot to tell you how good you look. I’m into the sexy librarian thing,” she said, grabbing the bag with one hand and Alice’s with the other when she was finished buttoning up. Her smile grew wider the darker tint of red Alice’s face turned. “I also forgot to ask you what you’re doing for Christmas.”

Alice followed Margo out of the bakery and was met with the cold air again. This time she didn’t notice as much, feeling a lot warmer now that she was holding hands with the hottest girl in Virginia. “Probably just going to visit my brother and his family. How about you?”

“Well… I was thinking about going to Cancun.”

“Was?”

“Was.”

\---

The paper was gripped so tightly in his hand, he was scared the slightest breeze would make him lose it. The desperation to get close to Quentin was getting so pathetic, he knew. But he wouldn’t allow himself to be the reason someone’s life was ruined. He lost his job the night before a huge exam. What if he failed it too? That was his future.

He found his apartment and tilted his head. It was actually pretty close to the bakery, he probably passed his place often on the way back home without even realizing it. They might have even bumped into each other without him even noticing.

He knocked before he had the chance to chicken out. He was glued to his spot in front of Quentin’s door. This felt like the beginning of that cheesy ‘Love Actually’ movie. But without the cheesy cue cards and declarations of love. Maybe coming empty-handed was a bad idea. It was too late to turn back, the door was slowly opening.

Eliot swallowed when he was greeted by the utterly destroyed looking Quentin. He leaned against the doorframe heavily and shot Eliot an exhausted look. “Yeah?”

It was so cold but in the end it was deserved. “I’m here to grovel.”

Quentin was quiet for a few moments before turning around and making his way back into his apartment. The door stayed open, a silent invitation and Eliot was quick to enter before Quentin changed his mind. His eyes darted around the place, taking in everything that was Quentin’s home. If Eliot thought his place was too bare, this place was empty. There were just random piles of books (textbooks and fantasy novels) in the living room Quentin settled back into. The other man dropped into his spot on the couch, which was surrounded by snack wrappers and empty beer bottles. The typical scene for a stressed and upset man.

“How did the exam go?”

“The results aren’t up yet, I just took it,” Quentin shrugged. There was definitely a hint of heat in his voice.

“I’m sure you did well,” he took a chance and moved from his spot in the hallway to sit next to Quentin on the couch. It was barely better than a futon. He hoped Quentin didn’t sleep here, he didn’t need a bad back on top of everything else that was going on.

“I’ll find out the day before Christmas Eve. My holidays are already ruined anyways,” Quentin brought his elbows to his knees and buried his face in his hands. A man who was broken, because he met Eliot.

That realization made him feel like he was being absolutely crushed by his guilt. Eliot cleared his throat and looked around the living room once more. His gaze settled on the television quietly playing a bunch of FBI agents chasing someone around with their guns drawn. It had to be another Criminal Minds marathon. “You watch this to cheer up?”

Quentin lifted his head just enough for Eliot to catch the grimace. “Where’s Todd?”

“At home. My home. He’s staying with me. For good,” Eliot said, unsure of how to convince Quentin that he wasn’t a terrible person. Maybe if you had to convince someone you weren’t that terrible you actually were. A few years ago, hell, maybe even last year, Eliot would have just accepted that fact and given up. He was growing, Margo would be proud of him. He was learning to be proud of himself too. “About last night,” he licked his bottom lip nervously.

“Was that your boyfriend?” Quentin cleared his throat, trying to push down the hurt in his voice at the question. 

“Not quite… There was something though,” he didn’t know how to answer that question directly, because he didn’t know it himself. “Whatever it was, it’s over.”

Quentin blinked at Eliot several times, clearly unsure of how to respond. Eliot braved to scoot closer and the other man didn’t seem phased by it. Although it looked like he was blinking back tears and it broke Eliot entirely. He began to rub Quentin’s back gently as he struggled to keep it together. “I think I failed my exam.”

His arm draped over Quentin’s shoulders and he pulled him close. His lips brushed over Quentin’s temple as he spoke up. “You’re the smartest person I know. If anything happened, it was probably because of the stress from yesterday. And if that’s the case I’m prepared to bribe your professor.”

Quentin snorted, pressing his cheek to Eliot’s chest. “With what?”

“I’ll add them to my Netflix account,” he smiled, rubbing Quentin’s shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jane begin to creep over to the couch. She hopped onto the simple coffee table next to the empty soda bottles and watched the pair curiously.

“So very tempting,” Quentin sighed heavily. 

A knock broke the calming air and Quentin’s head shot up. He gave Eliot a confused look before the door opened. Everything had seemed to go wrong within the last twenty-four hours. First he was fired, then he probably failed his exam due to stress and lack of sleep. And now, standing in his apartment and glaring at poor Jane was his landlord. When she turned to Quentin she looked entirely too pleased with herself. “I thought I heard yelling,” she shrugged, trying to justify entering without permission. 

“What that’s clearly a lie,” Eliot could see how Quentin’s face fell at the intrusion. It was obvious that he knew the woman, but he didn’t want her there.

“That’s my landlord,” Quentin whispered weakly, slowly standing up and trying to stand in front of Jane. The cat was hiding under the table now, but still visible to all parties. 

“I didn’t know you had a roommate,” her arms crossed over her chest while Quentin began to hug himself. If only he was charming and could talk her out of whatever ideas were churning in her head. He would do anything to not have to deal with this. He looked down at Eliot who was ready to jump in, even though he had no idea what was going on. He should have locked the door though, that he did know for sure.

“I don’t live here,” Eliot stood up beside Quentin.

“The cat. Cats aren’t allowed in the apartments,” she glared at him, obviously needing him to not get involved.

“It’s mine, I’m just visiting,” Eliot tried but by the look on her face, he could tell that nothing was going to work here. She wanted Quentin out and he needed to do whatever it took to make sure that didn’t happen. He was just scrambling to come up with a plan while Quentin looked completely numb next to him.

“Nice try,” she smiled sharply.

“You never gave him notice that you were coming in,” Eliot pointed out, ready to go on the offense since his defense wasn’t doing anything to help the situation.

“Because I heard-”

He pulled out his badge from his jacket pocket, thankful he carried it around with him at all times because it did wonders for his ego. Eliot never knew firefighters get badges to begin with. “Is the apartment building up to date on all of the fire codes?” he spoke more confidently with each word, noticing Quentin’s look of awe in his direction out of the corner of his eye. And the fear on the landlord’s face. It was a power trip. “I can come back next week to make sure. I would hate to shut down this amazing and friendly apartment building,” he didn’t bother hiding the sarcasm in his face. It was just blow after blow and he knew he won.

The landlord was flabbergasted and Eliot had to bite back a triumphant cheer when she stormed out of the apartment. 

Quentin moved to scoop Jane off the floor and he hugged her tightly to his chest. “I need to leave this place,” he sighed. Eliot wasn’t always going to be there to save him and he knew he was going to get that eviction notice one way or another.

Eliot’s mood deflated and he set his hands down on Quentin’s shoulders. Somehow this was his fault too. “We’ll figure something out. We’re friends, right?”

Quentin nodded absently like he didn’t even hear or understand the question to begin with. He had a million other things racing in his head. “I’ve got to call my sister. I’ll be fine though, we’ll talk later?”

He couldn’t even look at him. Minutes before they were all but hugging on the couch and now he couldn’t even look at Eliot. With a sigh, he shoved his hands back into his pockets. At least he left it open for future interactions. Eliot probably deserved to be cut off altogether at this point. “Let me know if I can help.”

“I’ll see you later,” Quentin pulled away and began to walk into the adjacent kitchen while clearly deep in thought.

Eliot frowned in his direction before zipping up his jacket and leaving his home. He had some thinking to do too.

\---

Eliot stilled when he went inside his house. Nowadays Todd came to meet him at the door, and it was domestic and mushy but Eliot secretly loved it. Where was he now? The smell of Pad Thai filled the place and Eliot was confused. Margo was supposed to be working for another few hours. He made his way into the kitchen cautiously and was greeted by Mike putting two plates of food on the table. He looked like he could be on the cover of some home goods magazine, but it felt empty. Eliot felt nothing for Mike now and he was sure Mike knew this. Why was he fighting for this doomed relationship?

“What are you doing?”

“Making dinner,” he said it like it was incredibly obvious. Like he cleaned up the evidence that he was lying behind him. Eliot did have to give it to him, at least he went to the best Thai place in town. They did have very good taste in food, clothing and other luxuries, but that didn’t make for a good relationship. Quentin was a bargain hunting, store brand kind of guy and Eliot wanted him. He’d never met anyone he needed in his life apart from Margo but this was so different at the same time. Was it completely cliched to use the word ‘soulmate’?

“You left the to-go containers on the counter sweetheart,” Eliot raised an eyebrow. “Where’s Todd?” Eliot asked, feeling nauseous. He had grown so close to that damn, dumb cat but they belonged to each other. Todd was his cat and Eliot was his human and that was it. Bonded until one of them died and Eliot was determined to have the cat live until twenty and be featured on a stupid Facebook video.

“You’re always going on about that stupid thing. I come here with food and you’re just gonna ignore that?”

“My fucking cat, where’s Todd?” Eliot asked again, more heat in his voice. He was pissed and he didn’t care if he was hurting feelings anymore. Mike grimaced and it didn’t change how angry he felt. Now he understood the bond people had with their pets. Before Todd, he felt like everyone was just being too extra but he was ready to fight for his cat.

“He was clawing at the door so I let him out- he seemed sad here.”

“You did what?!” Eliot cried out, completely bewildered that this could happen. There was also a surge of anger seeping through him and he needed Mike to leave immediately.

“Baby-“ Mike pouted but it looked empty and Eliot felt absolutely nothing. Was there anything other than lust and companionship between them? Eliot didn’t think so anymore. There was never love.

“You don’t ever get to call me that again. We’re done, okay?” Eliot said coldly, dragging his fingers through his hair as he tried to collect himself. Todd was a friendly cat but a stupid one. He couldn’t survive out there and it was getting so cold at night.

“Because of a cat,” Mike looked dumbfounded.

“We’ve been done for a long time. And I feel like you’ve known that. We don’t have anything in common anymore. I need more than you can ever give me,” Eliot put it gently because even though he was furious and wanted to drag Mike by the back of his expensive shirt out of his kitchen, in the end, this could have been prevented. If Eliot had only been honest with himself and with Mike, this odd relationship wouldn’t have been dragged out. Now there was a chance for a real relationship and he had to give it a shot.

“But-“

“No. You’re done talking now. I’m going to look for Todd and you better not be here when I get back.”

“You can’t do this!”

Eliot was already done zipping up his jacket, and at the door. “You voted for Trump, we’re done Mike! Get out!”

He heard a loud huff but slammed the door behind him.

Even though it didn’t snow in this area in winter, it was still so very cold at night. Where would Todd go? Eliot wished he knew _anything_ about cats at this moment. He felt stupid, something he absolutely loathed but he began to call out for the cat.

“Todd? Meow once if you’re in immediate distress,” he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out to the cat. It was too dark to do this but he wouldn’t go home until he found that cat. Life would be incredibly lonely around him.

And now Eliot was making it a point to put people and _animals_ that were good for him in his life. He had to take care of himself first so he could take care of others. Well, in ways that didn’t involve his job.

“Todd, it’s too cold,” he continued on a little quieter now. Cats didn’t come when called like dogs, did they? Todd was an odd cat but even that sounded impossible. “I’m sorry for not being a good human. You deserve a better house for sure, but I think we can have a good time together? Right? I’m definitely going to miss you and those emotions are something I’m going to have a hard time figuring out. Save me?”

He clenched his hands into fists and shoved them into his pockets. If Todd came back he would give him treats every day. If he came back he would scratch the spot above his tail while he watched Netflix with Margo. If he came back he would take care of him for the rest of his life. 

Eliot should have said all of it out loud, but he felt like it was too late. 

A few blocks later of false alarms, he paused at the fire station. It was too dark out and maybe it was pointless now. He could try again tomorrow morning and every morning until he found him. 

Before he decided to turn back, he stared at the fire truck that was parked outside rather than in the station. It was odd.

Miraculously, he saw the little orange ball of fur under the truck. He carefully took a few steps closer to the cat and knelt down in front of him. When the cat lifted its head, Eliot let out a pleased cry.

“Come here, baby boy,” he cooed at the cat, holding his hands out for him.

Todd blinked sleepily at him before stretching. Eliot was shivering now, unsure if it was because of the cold or the fear that the cat was going to run off.

But Todd seemed to take his time making his way over to Eliot, allowing himself to be pet a few times before the man picked him up. “Never going to let that happen again. You’re going to be the Salem to my Sabrina. The Garfield to my Jon. The Alf to my whatever humans he lived with.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of his head and began to walk back home. To their home.

On the way home, he had an unsettling thought: “Did Alf eat cats? Messed up.”

Todd only purred against his chest. Hopefully, he knew he would be safe from now on.

\---

Waking up to a cat lying on his chest was going to be new for Eliot, but he didn’t find himself hating. Todd was warm and it wasn’t as though he was digging his claws into Eliot’s silk pajama top. The only bad part of it was trying to sit up while Todd sat still and ultimately slid down his chest and onto his lap. The only one more difficult to wake up in the morning than Margo. Eliot noticed the sunlight trying to creep between his blinds and for once he was optimistic about the new day. Dumping Mike felt like he had lost an anchor that was trying to pull him back into his old ways and his old self. It was better than reading any self-improvement book.

This week was also looking good for another reason. Now that he had made Todd a permanent fixture in his life he was determined to do the same to someone else. After work, he was going to talk to Quentin and try to help. His other attempts to help were futile. He didn’t want to work at the pet shop again. He didn’t want him to bother his professor. He didn’t even want the ‘extra’ bag of cat food Eliot had stored around. Quentin Coldwater didn’t take handouts and Eliot was determined to wiggle in and figure out another way to help.

He got ready for work with a smile on his face. The smile on his face didn’t ebb off until he got to work and saw his coworkers’ quizzical stares. “What?” he asked as he paused in the locker room entrance.

“Mike was here. Left a bag of your stuff in your locker. Said he should have burned it,” Kady arched an eyebrow, leaning back against the wall. Penny was on the bench between them, lacing up his boots and looking like he wanted to be anywhere else at that moment. “He said you cheated on him with someone who works at the pet store.”

Eliot stormed over to his locker and noted the bag she was talking about. He immediately threw it into the trash can next to him. The relationship was over and he was fine burning the mementos. “I dumped him yesterday.”

Even Penny lifted his head in surprise. “I didn’t think you had it in you, honestly.”

Eliot was surprised he did too, but he wasn’t going to say that. “You bunch of gossips. Get to work,” he teased, focusing on getting ready and getting the hell out of that room.

The shift was rather uneventful after that and he was thankful for that. He had a bunch of paperwork to take care of and he could barely focus on it. Instead, he wanted to text Quentin, to tell him about what he did last night. But he’d kept Quentin in the dark about Mike for far too long, it was really pointless.

As soon as it was time to leave, Eliot ran out of there before he had the chance to answer more questions about Mike. He hopped right into his car and drove slightly faster than the speed limit but he didn’t care. There was nothing holding him back from… whatever was happening with Quentin. 

He wasn’t phased by the moving truck outside the apartment building because people were moving all the time around here. He was, however, stunned to see Quentin carrying a nightstand into it by himself. Cutting the engine a little harder than necessary, Eliot briskly walked over to the back of the truck as soon as Quentin stepped in. “Moving in?”

Quentin huffed and dropped the nightstand a bit unceremoniously. “Never moving into a place that doesn’t allow pets again. A stupid rule,” he grumbled, sounded exhausted as he sat at the edge of the trunk and began to swing his legs. 

“Is anyone helping you move?” Eliot asked as he hopped up with ease, taking the spot next to Quentin.

He shook his head. “Josh and Fen are going to try to after work. This is their truck.” 

“Where are you going?” he asked carefully, but the question was a sore spot and Quentin began to bite on his thumbnail. Even though he was tired and wearing dirty clothes from all the moving and cleaning, Eliot found him to be the cutest. When Quentin was back on his feet he could say things like that though.

“Probably my sister’s place. The place I’ve been avoiding for so long. I just- I don’t want her to know that I’m a failure,” he looked away from Eliot and it sent a pang through his heart. He wanted to tell him that he wasn’t a failure, that everything was going to work out… but when he was at his low points like this he didn’t want the pep talks. He wanted solutions.

Eliot reached to grab Quentin’s hand and threaded their fingers together, earning a confused glance. Maybe the offer was a little selfish but he was responsible for most of the things that went wrong in Quentin’s life this far. “Come stay with me.”

“I- I can’t do that to you,” he shook his head firmly but Eliot was pleased that he didn’t let go of his hand. “I still have Jane, she’s just with Alice right now while I move this stuff. What if Todd and her don’t get along?”

“They’re both ridiculously docile, I can’t see that happening,” Eliot shook his head, blissfully unaware of the struggles that could come from multiple cats. Quentin would correct him any other day but he was still too stunned.

“The space-”

“I live in a house- It’s unfinished but it’s big enough,” Eliot pressed. Even though he loved living by himself and how he could do anything he wanted shamelessly, he wouldn’t mind having a roommate if it was Quentin. There were a lot more things he was growing more comfortable with ever since Quentin came to his life.

“Are you sure?” he asked, this time more firmly. 

“Todd needs some friends,” Eliot shrugged, giving his hand a squeeze. “I’m sure.”

Quentin seemed to be deep in thought for a few long moments. They felt like hours to Eliot with how fast his heart was pounding in his chest. ”Okay. I’ll do it. But it’s going to be temporary, I promise. I’m going to look for a job as soon as I wake up tomorrow.”

Eliot couldn’t understand why his heart was still pounding or why he was so incredibly happy but he was. Maybe it was because he finally fixed one of the problems he caused in Quentin’s life. He dropped his head onto Quentin’s shoulder and smiled widely. “Take all the time you need. Huh- I finally found the Bert to my Ernie.”

“Like hell you did,” Quentin hopped out of the truck and wiped his hands on the front of his pants. He was actually laughing. “I’m Ernie.”

“I’ll help you move then. Gotta see if you’ve got that rubber ducky.”

\---

“I just think it’s beneath me, that’s all,” Marina sighed dramatically and dropped her head on the dining room table. She let out a long groan against her arms and refused to lift her head even when Julia started petting her hair.

“I don’t know. Hosting the Christmas party sounds kind of fun to me,” Julia admitted and crouched down behind her girlfriend. “And you do have the best kind of aesthetic, babe. It’s going to be better than the crap we’ve been invited to.” Normally Julia wasn’t the type to bring down other parties verbally but she knew it would cheer her girlfriend up and honestly it thrilled her a little to be so bad.

“You’re right…. ugh, I hate how kitschy these lawyers’ wives get. I want something more elegant. We’re a fucking law firm, not an elementary school,” her head snapped up and she offered Julia a pleased smile. She reached for Julia’s wrist and forced the other girl to sit on her lap.

Julia laughed and wrapped her arms around Marina’s shoulders. “We’re going to be so fancy, everyone is going to feel underdressed and underqualified,”

“I love making men feel small,” Marina snorted, face pressing against Julia’s neck. She pressed gentle kisses against her skin until Julia tilted her head. That’s when Marina bit down on the soft skin and earned a low groan.

Julia shifted on Marina’s lap, straddling her. Her girlfriend knew all the right buttons to press to rile her up and her neck was definitely her most sensitive spot. She panted lightly against her ear, trying to have the same effect on Marina. And it only made her bite the same spot on her neck, albeit a little firmer now.

“You’re being such a good girl, baby,” Marina whispered against her skin, her hands trailing Julia’s back to grab her ass fully. “Does the thought of me being a party planner get you hot? Are we roleplaying now?”

“Shut up already,” Julia snapped without any real heat. Her hips rolled against Marina because two could play at this game. 

Marina’s expression changed and her gaze darkened. She looked as though she could devour Julia and it sent chills up her spine. “You gonna shut me up, baby?” her fingers trailed up Julia’s back, dragging along her spine.

The phone rang in the distance and Marina was prepared to ignore it when she had such a beautiful woman on her lap ready to play. Unfortunately, Julia was a work-first play-later kind of gal and she was constantly prepared to answer calls when it meant she could get a potential client. She gave Marina an apologetic peck on the lips and stood up, smoothing the front of her shirt as she grabbed the phone.

Marina huffed and dropped her head onto the back of the couch, glaring at the ceiling when she found out it was Quentin on the other end of the line. Julia definitely wasn’t going to want to play now. 

“You coming over for our Christmas party? Marina’s firm is making her host it this year and she’s super excited about it,” she gave her girlfriend an impish look and Marina rolled her eyes in response. “You can bring over your boyfriend. It’ll be really classy.”

‘And a good way to prove that he exists,’ Marina wanted to add but she kept it to herself. The restraint she had nowadays because she was dating an actual saint was constantly surprising anyone who knew her.

“Can I come over?” Julia asked, earning a glare from Marina who wanted to finish what they had previously started. Julia pointedly ignored her. “You’re staying with your boyfriend?” That piqued Marina’s interest but only slightly. It was only a matter of time before the man got kicked out of the place he was living. He’s the one who brought a cat into an apartment where they weren’t allowed.

“Ask him where he lives,” Marina added helpfully. 

“You got fired?!” Julia dragged her fingers through her hair and shot Marina a helpless look. She hated not being able to help Quentin. And normally Marina was amused but she just wanted to help her girlfriend from her chaotic and hapless brother. “Okay, Quentin. We’re talking tomorrow though and you better not bail on me. I love you too. Bye.”

Julia hung up the phone and gave Marina ‘a look’. “So boyfriend, huh? Is he hot?”

“My brother is homeless and doesn’t have a job, but that’s what you take from it?”

\---

Quentin hung up from his call with Julia and turned around from his spot at the window, finding Eliot looking amused. Maybe he didn’t hear the call. Maybe just once, Quentin could be the lucky one.

“You’re staying with your boyfriend, huh?” Eliot smiled even wider, starting to look like a pleased cat himself.

“Boy. Friend. Boy who is a friend,” Quentin grumbled, making his way to his bedroom for his own safety. 

“What do you call the boys you’re dating then? _Lover_?” Eliot teased as he followed Quentin down the hallway. He laughed when Quentin slammed the bedroom door in his face.

\---

Eliot plucked a bottle of Merlot off of his wine rack as he wandered around the kitchen. It was an interesting day and he had a lot to think about. Quentin was always friendly around him but now that he got the sense that he was attracted to him, Eliot was like a dog with a bone. He looked down at Todd rubbing against his legs and tried to think of a similar analogy involving cats. Like a cat and a ball of yarn? “Do you need more toys, Todd?”

He grabbed a wine glass from his cabinet and heavily sat down at the table. Luckily, he was off from work the next day and he planned on having a few extra glasses tonight. He popped the cork and sniffed the open bottle. Normally if he had the time he would just make his own drinks but tonight he was treating himself. And that meant being lazy too.

Pouring himself half a glass, he took a sip and let out a small moan. It didn’t aerate but it still tasted amazing. Todd hopped onto the table at the sound, moving to inspect the wine glass. “What bad manners, who taught you that?” he grimaced, pulling the bottle and glass away from the curious cat.

“You probably don’t want to know the kind of stuff they do when you’re not home,” Quentin entered the kitchen, dropping a bag of groceries onto the counter. Eliot didn’t bother looking, he knew it was filled with boxes of cereal and frozen dinners. 

“You’re right, I don’t want to know,” he waved the wine bottle and Quentin who nodded as he put away his food.

A few moments later he took the seat beside Eliot and held up a coffee mug.

“You want me to pour wine in that?” he asked dully, giving the mug a glare. It wasn’t even properly washed, just rinsed out. “I don’t think I can physically do that.”

“Am I drinking out of the bottle then?” Quentin smirked and it would honestly be so hot if Eliot wasn’t so surprised by the mug.

With a groan, Eliot stood up and grabbed another wine glass. “You’re absolutely ridiculous, you know that?”

“You love it,” Quentin smiled and leaned back in his seat as the other man poured him a glass. He brought the glass to his lips and took a small sip. He hummed his appreciation and drank again.

“I’m tolerating you more every day...” Eliot couldn’t help but stare at him. Quentin was starting to get more comfortable around him. Maybe now that he wasn’t working and had a break from school, he wouldn’t be as tense. Even though Quentin didn’t open up to him about it, he was certain that it was just part of him. 

“Are you celebrating something?” Quentin finally did something useful by gently picking Todd up from the table and putting him on the floor. Todd didn’t seem bothered and ran out of the kitchen, surely it was to look for Jane and terrorize her.

“I guess I’ve got a cute boyfriend I didn’t know about,” Eliot teased, taking in Quentin’s blush with a wide grin.

“Gonna be my shortest relationship if he keeps this up,” Quentin grumbled, knocking back his glass of wine with ease. So it was going to be _that_ kind of night. Eliot wasn’t complaining, he was sure Quentin was a lot of fun with some drinks in him. 

Eliot lifted the bottle up in question and Quentin nodded, so he poured him another glass and added more wine into his own. “I wish I could say the same.” His phone buzzed and he looked down at the screen to find a picture of Margo and her new _companion_ , Alice. They both looked dressed up, like they were on a date and Eliot’s eyes flickered to Quentin who was minding his own business. Now that he was officially single, could he pursue Quentin? Did he even have that right after everything that happened? Quentin gave him more chances than he deserved but he couldn’t stop trying for more.

“What are you looking at?” Quentin asked, scooting closer to look at Eliot’s phone.

“Looks like our respective gal pals here are… gal pals,” Eliot pointed his screen at the other man and watched the reaction.

First it was surprise and then a light smile spread over his face. He was happy that the pair of women were happy. Eliot understood it completely. “Alice tried to get me to join that dating app. I’m assuming your friend is the one she met online,” Quentin asked as he brought the glass to his lip.

Eliot hummed and put the screen face down on the table. This wasn’t time for distractions, he wanted to give all of his attention to Quentin. This was the most lighthearted encounter they’ve had in ages. 

“I used to date her,” Quentin admitted, his finger running along the rim of the wine glass and he looked slightly nervous. Eliot was just happy he wanted to be open with him. The only reason someone would admit something like that is if they wanted a relationship to grow closer. Or maybe he was just jumping to conclusions.

“Oh?” Eliot felt excited about where this conversation was heading. “She made me nervous when I first met her. Intense and a little bossy,” he continued, dropping his chin in his hand and staring directly at Quentin. “Is that your type?”

Quentin’s face flushed and he cleared his throat. After taking a moment to finish his wine glass, he poured himself another one before Eliot had the chance. “I guess. I’m in my head a lot, it’s nice for someone to take over sometimes. But Alice and I work better as friends. She’s probably my best friend.”

She was going to have her hands full with Margo. Or maybe it was the other way around. “Am I a great distraction?” he pried, noting that the bottle of wine was halfway gone. And on an empty stomach, what a rookie mistake. 

Quentin shifted in his seat and shook his head. “I actually think about you a lot,” he admitted. He was so honest, Eliot would be envious if he wasn’t so overwhelmed about the revelation. “Also, I’m hungry. Want to split a frozen pizza?”

Normally Eliot would say no, imagine the sodium content. Even the offer was ridiculous. “The oven’s broken. I need to call someone to fix it,” he shook his head solemnly. Quentin probably knew he was judgmental but he didn’t need to know the extent. 

“I fixed it while you were out today. My dad and I did things like that together when I was younger,” he shrugged like it was as simple as washing the dishes. There was a pang in Eliot’s chest at the mention of a healthy father-son relationship. At least Quentin could enjoy that for as long as he did. 

“You surprise me every day,” Eliot smiled as he finished his glass of wine, pouring himself another one and topping off Quentin’s drink. It was surprising how easy it was to talk to the man too. Three hours, two bottles and a disappointing frozen pizza later they were practically propping each other up to keep from slumping over. It was time for bed, one of them announced, slurring their words. Eliot didn’t know who it was but it was a great idea.

Ever the gentleman, Eliot walked Quentin to his door. Quentin was struggling to remain upright and was leaning heavily against the doorframe. “Come in with me,” he whispered, his voice small and needy. But also scared, Eliot couldn’t do it. 

He kissed Quentin’s forehead and smiled as he pulled back. “Maybe next time, baby boy. Think of me when you touch yourself tonight?”

Quentin drunkenly nodded, face turning beet red as he gingerly shut the door behind him. Eliot looked on forlornly, but even drunk he knew it was the right decision.

Eliot really hoped Quentin touched himself that night while thinking of him. He was going to do the same.


	4. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Art Interlude by MalicesRose Part Two


	5. He Stays

Eliot was getting too old to drink as much as he did the night before. He woke up with his head throbbing and he let out an embarrassing whimper. What he needed to do was drink a lot of water and maybe an entire pot of coffee. After taking a hot shower. Margo claimed she had the drink that could cure any hangover but she was always too hungover to get out of bed and make it when they actually needed it. 

With a groan, he stood up and began his hangover regime. The hot shower was starting to make him feel human and that’s when he remembered that Quentin drank as much as he did. Hopefully he was still alive, he would have to check after he made some food. He dried himself off a bit too roughly and began to wipe the condensation off of the mirror. Eliot couldn’t be seen by someone he was interested in like this. Hastily pulling out the concealer from his drawer, he blotted at the bags under his eyes until he looked like he was among the land of the living once more. Still, it was a day off so he was going to wear his black designer sweatpants and nothing else. 

No one was in the kitchen when he left his room so he went to work on making some breakfast. For some reason, french toast sounded like the perfect way to soak up any alcohol leftover in his system. And maybe if it was a sweet breakfast Quentin wouldn’t go for his usual Captain Crunch box.

He floated around the kitchen easily, having always felt the most comfortable cooking. First he got the French press ready because they would both need caffeine to survive. Then he grabbed a loaf of bread that he got from the bakery that was starting to get stale. It would work perfectly for this. While he was dumping cinnamon into the mixing bowl, he heard heavy footsteps begin to enter the kitchen. He lifted his head and found a destroyed looking Quentin in his grey sweatpants and matching oversized sweater. His hair was pulled back into a bun and he could barely open his eyes. 

Eliot was absolutely smitten. He wanted nothing more than to wrap the smaller man in his arms until they both felt better. “Rough night?” He playfully asked, motioning for Quentin to sit at the barstool across from him.

Quentin dropped into the seat heavily and sighed. “Wine drunk just sneaks up on you. It’s never steady,” he said, voice thick with sleep and Eliot wondered if the other man could see the heart eyes he was making right then. “What are you making?”

“My sweet Q, if I watch you eat cereal for children one more time, I’m going to break down right at this table. We’re having french toast.” he winked at the man as he dunked the bread into the batter mix. He noted the sheepish look on Quentin’s face but didn’t want to embarrass him any further. “I make the best breakfast, I’ve been told.”

Quentin’s eyebrow shot up and Eliot had to interrupt before this got awkward. Sure he did have a few guests who stayed overnight long enough for breakfast. But that wasn’t as often now and he needed Quentin to know that. For some reason.

“By Margo. She’s here all the time… except now she’s getting laid so,” he put a slab of butter over a hot frying pan and let it melt before placing two pieces of bread. 

“Can I help?” Quentin asked, still looking like death. 

Eliot shook his head and poured him a cup of coffee instead. “Let me show off, please.”

“I’m doing dishes,” Quentin grumbled, standing up to grab peppermint mocha flavored creamer from the fridge. He wasn’t ashamed that he had to doctor coffee, he was going to get his sugar intake somehow.

“I’ve got a dishwasher for that,” Eliot pointed out, flipping the french toast and letting it sizzle on the other side for a few moments. He shot Quentin a glance and noted how crestfallen he looked. “But to save on electricity, you should do them.” 

Quentin seemed to perk up a bit at the task. Was it ever in his nature to relax in the first place? Eliot didn’t mind how wound up the other man was. He was having a lot of fun taking care of him anyways. “Jane and Todd are getting along well. Last night I saw them cuddling on the couch,” Quentin’s lips twitched up and Eliot fought the urge to sigh because he wasn’t the type who wanted pets on the furniture. That couch was rather expensive.

They were really cute though. Eliot was breaking a lot of his boundaries with pets down because of Todd. And Quentin was just enabling the entire thing with his soften looks towards the cats. “Maybe they’re in love,” he teased, flipping the french toast through the air and having it land onto a plate. He sprinkled some cinnamon onto it before setting it in front of Quentin.

Quentin clapped his hands in awe although Eliot was sure he was teasing him for being such a showboat. “Thank you, Mr. Food Network.” Yeah, definitely teasing. It still made Eliot feel warm inside. “Jane has a hard time connecting to people. Or other animals. She’s got these walls,” he bit the inside of his cheek. “I found her trapped in a parking garage. On purpose. Like someone didn’t want her so they threw her away. She hid under my bed for two weeks before she finally opened up to me,” Quentin sighed, slowly cutting into his food. It was something that still hurt him, obviously. That someone could treat an animal in such a way.

“My dad did things like that at the farm. Even to us,” Eliot added, but he didn’t want to go any further, not today. They were supposed to be flirting, not this. He watched another pad of butter melt on the pan for a moment, before making up his own plate. Margo and Mike were the only two who knew about his past with his family. And one of them was thankfully out of his life entirely. 

He was probably worrying the other man because Quentin’s stool noisily slid on the floor as he got up and stood next to Eliot. He dropped his head on the taller man’s shoulder and dropped the soggy pieces of bread onto the pan. Eliot didn’t want to say it was too soon, he appreciated the gesture. “My mom left us when I was just a kid.”

“Look at us. Our own island of misfit toys,” Eliot laughed mirthlessly. Quentin rubbed his back and handed him a spatula with his free hand. Eliot inhaled to calm himself and shook his head. It’s been long enough, should the thought of his family casting him away really need to hurt this bad? “We need to go Christmas shopping after this,” he decided it was time to stop moping around and time to start having some fun.

“We?” Quentin took a step back and gave him a quizzical look. He did manage to look amused at the same time.

Eliot flipped the french toast and hummed. “I’m off today. It’ll be fun,” he added, not bothering to look at Quentin anymore. He knew the other man was coming.

“I guess I can get some applications while we’re there,” Quentin nodded, making his way back to his chair. 

“You need to stop wasting your time in retail and get your foot in the door with some vets,” Eliot plated his food and turned off the stove. He sat across from Quentin and smiled. The way Quentin looked at him with such awe- He really didn’t know how to handle it. “Your food’s getting cold.”

\---

“That’s my good girl,” Margo said, fingernails digging into Alice’s waist. The blonde woman was currently on her lap, riding the silicone cock currently attached to Margo’s groin. It was a blue dildo, thick and with a small curve to it and Margo was honestly surprised that it was growing to be Alice’s favorite toy. She thought it would be too advanced for the woman. Alice enjoyed surprising Margo though and the pair were having too much fun since they had met.

Alice was pressed against Margo, hands buried in her thick hair and her lips to her ear. The pants and huffs of breath were such a turn-on. So much so that Margo felt like she was the more studious of the pair and her specialty needed to be Alice. “Daddy kink, Margo?” Alice scoffed, even though Margo could tell she enjoyed the comment by the way her hips stalled over her.

“More of a praise thing, but I’m game,” Margo pulled back a little from Alice so she could look her in the eye, hands moving up to cup her cheeks. “I think you like being my good little girl. Daddy’s little angel.”

Alice whimpered, grinding her hips down harder onto the toy. Margo was pleased with the harness she chose, because the pair enjoyed playing rough at times. 

Margo’s hand trailed down along Alice’s chest, nails dragging down against her soft stomach before settling down between her legs. Alice was shivering from the contact, inhaling sharply when Margo touched where she was stretched around her cock. “You’re so wet for Daddy.” Her fingers rubbed Alice’s clit lightly before she brought them up to her lips to taste her. “So good.”

Alice whined at the sight, eyes squeezing shut to collect herself for a moment. She was starting to get worn out, moving slower and unable to come from the position they were in. The dirty talk was so incredibly new to her and she was never this quiet during sex but she didn’t know what to say. Everything was incredibly overwhelming and she could only focus on the sensations. ”I wanna-”

Margo gave her a moment to finish her thought but she couldn’t. “Tell me what I wanna hear and I’ll let you cum,” she smirked, bringing her fingers to Alice’s mouth so she could taste herself too. Alice took them in obediently and moaned around the digits. “You look so pretty, I’m going to make you suck my cock next time.”

Alice’s tongue swirled around her fingers before she let them fall from her mouth. “I want to cum,” she said in a small voice, obviously thinking about the next time too. Her nails were digging into Margo’s shoulders as she tried to lift herself up on her cock but it was growing more difficult after every fall onto the length.

Margo peppered kisses to her breasts, lingering over the nipples when Alice let out a choked sob. “You’re such a naughty brat, baby. Only good girls can cum.”

“Please,” Alice moaned, her movements stuttered altogether. And she looked absolutely breathtaking here. Her skin flush from exertion and shimmering from sweat. Her hair absolutely messed up and glasses somewhere on the nightstand beside them. She was on the verge of begging and Margo was sure that was uncommon for the woman and she didn’t want to push her further than what she was comfortable. “Fuck me, Daddy.”

And that was good enough for Margo. She pulled out of Alice and pressed the other woman back onto the bed. Her blonde hair haloed around her and she was so ethereal in this moment. Margo wanted to touch her everywhere and allowed her hands to drag up along her sides. “My sweet girl,” she pressed a gentle kiss to Alice’s forehead before entering her once more.

Alice’s legs wrapped around her waist and her arms wound around her neck. Their lips were brushing together but they weren’t kissing. “I’m so close, Daddy.”

“Let me take care of you, angel,” Margo promised, hips snapping into her. Her head felt like it was spinning from the noises Alice made and how she blabbered on about how Margo made her feel so good. Her thrusts were unrelenting and she didn’t stop as the noises Alice made grew louder. She didn’t stop until the woman wailed and arched her back, her orgasm hitting her hard and fast. 

Margo stilled above her, petting her hair through the orgasm and kissing her temple. “My sweet Alice. You did so well for me,” she whispered against her flushed skin as Alice clenched at the sheets at her sides. 

After a few long moments and deep breaths, Alice settled down enough for Margo to pull out. She sloppily tossed the harness off to the side and collapsed next to Alice. The blonde was breathing heavily next to her before shifting onto her side. “Do you want me to-” her hand settled on Margo’s thigh and began to trail up but she was gently nudged away.

“You can be Pillow Princess for the day,” she smiled as she twirled the blonde locks between her fingers. “You’re so hot when you cum.”

“Stop,” Alice smiled tightly, looking ready to hide under the covers.

Margo kicked the sheets off of the bed for good measure. “What are you doing for Christmas?” she asked, trying to act nonchalant.

Alice shrugged and moved to lie down on her back once more. “Probably going to eat with my parents, my brother and whoever he’s dating this month. How about you?”

“I was going to Cancun… but I think I’m going to stay,” she brushed Alice’s hair off of her brow. “I’m going to a swanky party before that though. You have a sexy Santa costume?”

“Shut. Up.”

“That’s a maybe. Want to bail on brunch with the boys and fuck?” Margo’s hand splashed on Alice’s stomach and she smirked at the goosebumps spreading over her skin.

Alice gripped onto Margo’s wrist and pulled her closer. “What are you doing for New Years?” she asked, breath hitching when Margo’s fingers brushed against her clit. 

“Gonna make you cum at midnight, of course.”

\---

Eliot wasn’t going to admit it, but there was something rather comforting about shopping during the holidays. He never really came to the outdoor mall any other time of year but now there were crowds of people which didn’t bother him in the slightest. The chatter, the decorations, the lights, the constant indulging- What wasn’t there to like? Christmas could be lonely at times because it was always time for families, that’s why he and Margo kept leaving the country to party elsewhere. This was his first Christmas in the states in years. 

Although he was kind of annoyed he’d already been here for ten minutes and still no Mariah Carey playing on the speakers. The annoyance constantly ebbed away when his shoulder brushed against Quentin and he would smile down at the shorter man with every contact. This was something else he could get used to. He enjoyed the fact that the pair were constantly together. Eliot rarely enjoyed spending so much time with just one other person. Margo was the only exception and sometimes he worried that she would find  _ him _ boring.

He had a bag of gifts in his one hand and the other absently swinging between them. He was tempted to reach for Quentin’s hand. It would be so easy. But not allowed, that wasn’t where the pair were in their relationship. Whatever the relationship was.

Quentin was people watching, smiling lightly at dad with his son on his shoulders. A pair of women walking a dog. There was a group of teenagers singing Christmas carols obnoxiously as they walked past. Quentin looked like he was having fun as well.

“What do you want for Christmas?” Quentin asked, coyly digging for information. Well, not coyly at all.

“You fixed my oven. We’re even for life,” Eliot brought his hand to his chest dramatically. 

“You’re letting me live with you rent-free, I feel like I’m getting a gift. Can’t I get you something too?”

“Maybe next year, champ,” Eliot bumped his shoulder against Quentin’s once more before his phone buzzed in his pants. He looked at the screen and huffed. Margo was canceling on their brunch date. He wondered if she and Alice had the chance to eat with all of the sex they were having. ‘Make sure you two are breathing under those sheets,’ he shot back before turning his attention back onto Quentin. “Come on, what do you say to the two of us getting bottomless mimosas?” Eliot asked. It was rude to text during a conversation, but it seemed like Quentin didn’t mind. 

Quentin paused for a few moments, looking very conflicted. Eventually, he seemed to man up and pulled Eliot off to the side because what he was going to say wasn’t appropriate for passerby’s. Eliot was amused by the act but didn’t say anything. “I think we should go back to your place and fuck,” he said quietly enough for only Eliot to hear.

It was the first time in a long time Eliot was completely speechless. His mouth opened and closed several times and he found himself nodding dumbly. “Christmas present?”

“I’ve changed my mind. Wow, that was quick,” Quentin laughed, shaking his head. Eliot used his free hand to grab onto the side of Quentin’s neck, smiling widely at the banter.

“You can’t just get me hard in public and then-”

“You’re hard?” he glanced down to Eliot’s pants and the taller man had to cover himself with a shopping bag.

“I can be if you want,” Eliot’s tone dropped and he licked his bottom lip. Quentin’s eyes widened when they both seemed to realize there was no turning back now. 

“I want. You know… I was going to make a bottomless joke-”

“And I’m glad you didn’t,” Eliot chuckled, rubbing the back of Quentin’s neck. Although bad puns weren’t going to stop Eliot and he lightly patted Quentin’s ass in excitement. God, it felt like he was in high school again back when he snuck out of his parents’ place and went to the gay bar an hour away. The rare times where he was young and felt hopeful and unafraid and honest to himself. Quentin made him feel like that.

“Let’s go or we’re going to get arrested for public indecency,” Quentin shook his head but grabbed onto Eliot’s hand. Their fingers intertwined and it was the happiest Eliot’s been in ages. Even with Mike, he had never held hands in public. 

He tugged on the shorter man and pulled him back onto the sidewalk. They needed to get back home as soon as possible. But at least he had something to enjoy on the way there. Quentin was so incredibly warm and the smile on his face was so sweet. Eliot couldn’t wait to kiss him, so he pressed his lips to their joined hands instead. Soon.

\---

Eliot didn’t want to waste another moment when they had finally arrived home. Unfortunately for him though, Quentin insisted on taking a shower and it made Eliot nervous. He didn’t want Quentin to talk himself out of what the pair were about to do while he was in the shower but ultimately he would do whatever Quentin wanted. He wanted this, sure. But not enough to rush or hurt Quentin. Now he had to deal with his own restless energy while he shifted around his bedroom.

He looked at himself in the mirror. Should he have showered too? He tucked a lock of hair behind his ear and tried not to fret over his appearance. He took off his button up hung it up carefully. He was wearing a white tank top underneath, so he didn’t scare Quentin off entirely when he got back. He peeled off his pants and folded them over his desk chair, still clad in his black boxer briefs. 

He paced for a moment before feeling fur rubbing against his ankle. Todd looked up at him expectantly and he felt guilty for reasons he didn’t want to try to process. He picked up the cat and put him outside in the hallway, finally seeing Quentin after they got home. He was padding through the hallway in just a towel, his hair matted to his head and a sheepish smile on his face. Eliot’s gaze traveled along Quentin’s bare chest and he appreciated the hair. He was staring and he couldn’t stop, like a high school boy with a smut magazine all over again. “I was going to put on pajamas or something… but it’s useless, isn’t it?”

“If you don’t want to do anything-”

“I want to. Your hands- I can’t stop thinking about your hands. I need them all over me,” Quentin admitted, a brave smile on his face although it was clear he was incredibly nervous.

Todd scampered away to look for Jane probably and Eliot tugged Quentin into his room, fingers loosely wrapped around his wrists. He led a willing Quentin to his bed and sat down with the man still standing between his legs.

When Quentin was released, he gripped onto his towel tightly. “I’m not going to be the only naked one here,” he grumbled, refusing to let up when Eliot’s fingers grazed the material.

Eliot touched Quentin’s chin lightly and he angled his face downwards. They locked eyes and he could hear Quentin’s breath hitch as Eliot peeled off his tank top. Eliot could feel his gaze hard on his chest. “You can touch me.”

After a few deep breaths, both of Quentin’s hands rested on Eliot’s shoulders. They drifted down along his collarbones and his chest. Eliot could feel goosebumps follow the touch but he let Quentin take what he wanted from him. The pair locked eyes while Quentin explored him, thumbs grazing his nipples. The towel pooled at Quentin’s feet but he didn’t make an attempt to cover himself up. Instead he straddled Eliot and pressed his face to his neck. “I don’t… lead,” he tried to explain but Eliot took the hint. And he didn’t mind doing what Quentin was silently asking. 

“First of all,” Eliot began, manhandling Quentin so the shorter man was on his back with him between his legs. He sat up to look at Quentin fully, noting the blush on his skin. His briefs were starting to feel so tight on his crotch but he wanted to take things slowly for the man. He was certain that Quentin was either a virgin or someone who hadn’t had sex in a very long time. He pounced on him and pressed their lips together, a firm and heated kiss where his hands could travel along Quentin’s body.

They trailed down along Quentin’s sides before he kneaded his ass. Quentin’s own hands were cupping Eliot’s face, moaning loudly against his lips. 

“It’s been a while,” Quentin admitted, a bit embarrassed. Bingo.

“Shhh. It’s cute,” Eliot sat up again, nudging Quentin to roll onto his stomach. He crawled behind him and stared at the ass that was on display for him. “Let me take care of you,” Eliot whispered, grabbing the other man’s ass again. This time he pulled Quentin’s cheeks apart and dragged his tongue over his hole.

“Fuck,” Quentin cried out, hands gripping onto the comforter tightly and maybe he’s had sex but he’s sure no one has ever touched him like this. He tried to wiggle away for a moment in panic but allowed himself to enjoy the feeling.

He laved his tongue along the hole several times before he pushed past the rim. Eliot moaned along with every cry Quentin made and it was all so incredibly overwhelming to him. Quentin was propped up on his knees now and he felt like he could slip at any moment. Eliot was holding his hip with one hand and the other wrapped around his cock. 

Quentin thrashed on the bed and he was whimpering. “More, El. Please, I need more.”

“Tell me. What do you need?” Eliot asked lowly, hand stroking Quentin slowly. Quentin writhed against Eliot and he rolled onto his back once more.

“Fuck me. I need to cum with you inside me,” Quentin grabbed at Eliot’s briefs in an attempt to pull them down. It was a weak attempt but it made Eliot’s breath hitch at the  _ neediness _ . It was so hot.

He reached over to grab the lube and a condom from the nightstand and pecked Quentin’s lips when he dropped back between his lips. “I’m going to take good care of you, baby boy. Relax,” he poured the substance on his fingers and gave Quentin a smirk. 

His finger prodded Quentin’s hold gently before he slowly pressed in. They both gasped, Quentin was so incredibly tight. “You feeling okay? You need to breathe, baby. Trust me,” he thrust the finger several times before pressing in another digit. 

Quentin’s back arched as he tried to get himself comfortable but he stilled completely when Eliot’s fingers ghosted over his prostate. “Fuck,” he groaned.

Eliot smiled down at the writhing figure, enjoying the show. He focused on stretching Quentin out for a few moments, leaning down to kiss his inner thighs in an attempt to soothe him. 

Quentin weakly tapped at his wrist and smiled down at the man. “As much as I love your fingers, if you don’t fuck me now I’m not going to make it,” he tugged his hand away and Eliot straightend up.

“You got it, sir,” he said playfully, quickly kicking off his briefs before he had the chance to look clumsy. Quentin watched him breathlessly, his hand loosely stroking his cock. The image alone made Eliot well aware of the precum making a mess over him.

Unfortunately his hands were still slippery from the lube and he couldn’t open up the condom. He was too damn impatient. Quentin laughed and grabbed it, tearing the package open with his teeth and smoothly putting the condom over Eliot’s erection. This was the most fun Eliot’s had having sex in a long time.

Quentin’s legs spread wider to accommodate Eliot and his arms wrapped around his shoulders. Eliot felt completely engulfed by everything that was Quentin. He sank into him with a low groan, filling him up completely. This was the closest he’s ever felt to anyone.

“More,” Quentin whispered.

“Anything my baby boy wants,” Eliot purred.

\---

Quentin wasn’t used to being the first one to wake up in any relationship. Even if he had an appointment, he would oversleep and barrel out of bed. But this morning he woke up feeling warm and found an arm thrown over his waist and lips pressed against the back of his neck. This would normally make him jolt up in a start, the proximity stifling. Instead, he let himself enjoy how close Eliot was and the way his body ached in a good way. His hand covered Eliot’s and he heard the other man mutter indistinctly in his sleep. 

His fingers threaded through Eliot’s, he didn’t want to get up but he did have to meet Julia. He supposed she really did make it as a successful realtor if she was inviting him out for brunch. Even though he loved his sister, he wanted to stay in bed with Eliot a little longer. A lot longer. The rest of the day. He hadn’t had a lazy day in so long, he deserved this. 

But Julia would kill him if he canceled on her again. She wanted to congratulate him for all of his hard work in school and even though it felt weird, he had to let her.

“Q?” Eliot’s deep voice sent chills down Quentin’s spine, maybe he was still sensitive from last night. “Go back to sleep, baby. I still have some tricks to show you and you’re gonna need all the rest you can get.”

Quentin turned around in his arms and smiled at Eliot’s sleepy face. This was something he could get used to. This is something he was surprised he really wanted to get used to. He brushed the other man's hair out of his face and kissed him gently. “I forgot I have to get breakfast with my sister today. If I don’t go with her and her scary girlfriend will drag me.”

“I need a tall stack of pancakes after last night,” Eliot yawned, covering his mouth when he remembered morning breath. Quentin didn’t seem to mind but he did seem upset when he had to sit up from the embrace. They both went quiet at the implication of the comment. 

It’s not like they were dating. Quentin didn’t know what they were, really. And he wanted to figure that sort of thing out before he introduced someone he was with to Julia. Alice had met her and it was after they had already broken up but Julia wanted to meet his friend. Eliot would probably get along with Marina. They had a similar sense of humor. Quentin only hummed in response, unsure of what to say.

Eliot seemed to take the cue though. “I’ve got a million things to take care of here though. I’ve got a muffin calling my name,” he sat up and stretched. Quentin watched the sheets pool at Eliot’s waist and the other man noticed. “Tell her you’ll be an hour late.”

“I can’t-”

“Even fifteen minutes would work for me,” Eliot shifted and began to crawl toward Quentin at the end of the bed. His arms wound around his middle and he peppered kisses along his neck. He smiled when he felt Quentin lean back against him.

“Tempting… And disappointing,” Quentin teased, yelping at the nip on his skin where his neck met his shoulder. He shoved Eliot off of him and rolled his eyes when the other man pouted back at him. “I really have to go.”

“Come back soon,” Eliot slapped Quentin’s ass on his way up. Quentin swatted Eliot’s hand as he made his way out of the bedroom. He was never going to make plans this early again.

\---

Breakfast was surprisingly painless in spite of the fact that Marina was there. The pair of women had bullied him into bringing a date for their party and Quentin kind of liked the thought of asking Eliot to join him. The thought made him scared at the same time. What if he was pushing for something too quickly? He was deep in his thoughts when he walked into the living room where Eliot was carefully wrapping gifts on the ground. They looked professionally done, the kind of stuff he sawin movies.

“You actually wrap your gifts? I throw everything in bags,” Quentin said sheepishly, a little nervous about the question he wanted to ask the man. It was unfair to Eliot to unload all this on him when nothing between them was settled. He just wanted some answers to questions he didn’t even know to ask.

“No one I know wraps like I do, so I have to outdo myself every year,” Eliot shrugged, straightened up and slapped his thighs. “Bring me any leftovers?”

“Half an omelette?” Quentin offered, walking over to bring Eliot the container and a fork. 

Eliot inspected the leftovers carefully before deeming it worthy to eat. He sat back against the couch and ignored the mess at his legs. Quentin sat on the couch next to him, palms rubbing furiously against the front of his jeans. “This is actually pretty good.”

“Do you want to go to a Christmas party with me tomorrow night? My sister is hosting one with her girlfriend and you know how she thinks I have a boy who is a friend...” Quentin blurted it out, deciding to just get the request over with.

Eliot looked excited at the prospect before his face quickly fell. “I’ve got a thing to go to tomorrow. With Margo. I would have totally loved to go with you-”

Quentin waved him off and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Just thought I’d ask. How’s the omelette?”

He did spring the question onto Eliot last minute, but the rejection still managed to hurt. Maybe he was moving a bit too fast. Eliot’s face lit up when he got to talk about food and the atmosphere of the conversation became lighter. At least Eliot couldn’t see the storm of doubt in his chest.

\---

Quentin did not want to be at this Christmas party. He was really impressed by what his sister’s girlfriend was capable of when she wasn’t putting all of her energy into making him uncomfortable. There were servers with little garlands in their hair carrying fancy trays of food. He wanted to snag an entire tray of little weiner dogs and hide in their bedroom until the party was over but he was determined to have Julia see him once at this party having a good time. She was too busy greeting other guests with Marina and probably networking. Julia was always working even when she was supposed to be having fun.

The place was decorated to the nines. Quentin didn’t know if Marina and Julia did it themselves or if they had professional help but the large living room looked like a mix between a snow castle and the inside of Santa’s workshop. Quentin toyed with a wooden train running along the center of the large dining table.

He felt underdressed and overwhelmed. And the party was only twenty minutes in. He did see Julia once but he couldn’t leave just yet without worrying her. And the last thing she needed during this party was to worry about him. 

He wondered what Eliot was up to. He was busy for the night but hopefully, he was having more fun than Quentin was. Part of him wanted to text the other man, but that would be too desperate. Instead, he stood up from his spot at the dining table, picking up his wine glass and getting someplace less crowded. Like the deck. The strangers he kept bumping into and the chattering made his skin crawl and he just needed some quiet and cold air. It would make his body feel more like his own again.

He finally made it to the deck and let out a breath of relief. He should have just stayed home, made some hot chocolate and cuddled with the cats until Eliot got back home. It was all rather domestic, but with everything happening the last few weeks he felt like he got closer to the man than many others before him. No one tried to get to know him like Eliot. No one made him feel as comfortable as the other man did. He sipped at his red wine absently and snorted. Eliot knew how to pick better wines as well. Hopefully, he could introduce Eliot to Julia and her girlfriend. While Eliot meeting Marina would be epic in its own right, he really wanted Eliot to meet his only family. Julia would think that was his boyfriend and- Well, it was a mess. 

And yet, it didn’t make Quentin scared or nervous. He was excited for it to happen.

Twenty minutes of sitting on the deck by himself and staring into the night sky with his thoughts, Quentin decided maybe it was time to head back home. Home…

He turned around and his jaw dropped. The man he had been thinking about the entire night, the entire month even, was at the party. Eliot was at the party he said he didn’t have time for and he was laughing it up with the man next to him. Quentin couldn’t see the man’s face but he was probably staring dreamily at Eliot, who wouldn’t be? He couldn’t help but stare at Eliot though. He looked so good all cleaned up in a suit, his hair slicked back. He looked so good when he erupted into laughter and put his hand on the stranger’s shoulder. He looked so good without Quentin on his side and Quentin felt so completely destroyed.

‘All I Want for Christmas’ was being sung by Mariah Carey over the speakers on the deck and Quentin couldn’t handle this party anymore. He couldn’t believe that he allowed himself to feel this crushed when he had so many other things to take care of, a future he worked so hard to pursue. This was why he didn’t want to be in a relationship, he didn’t want the inevitable pain. Tonight he would mourn, he would allow himself that. He made his way back into the house, away from the man who broke his heart. 

He plucked a bottle of wine from one of the servers and walked out of the house entirely before they had the chance to stop him.

He could text Julia later. Right now his body was forcing himself at the party while his heart was still broken on the floor in front of Eliot.

\----

Marina looked very pleased with herself as the last of her law firm left the party. Their home was finally empty and she wanted to crash on the couch to sleep until the next year. Her arms crossed over her chest when the door was shut and she pressed her back to it. Julia came forward and rested her hands on her girlfriend’s shoulders, kissing her temple. 

“You did a good job, babe,” Julia kissed her cheek. “It was a great party,” she smiled against her soft skin before reaching down and grabbing Marina’s hands. She pulled her away from the door and towards the couch, allowing Marina to sprawl onto it gracelessly. It wasn’t that she was pretending to be anything she wasn’t tonight. She wasn’t as nice as Julia and it was obvious. But this party was a chance to network and she was sure she had a lot of opportunities now. 

“Come here with me,” Marina whined, tugging on Julia’s hand but the other woman only sat down on the couch beside her. She could tell Julia was already trying to figure out a way to tackle the mess either tonight or when they woke up but that was the last thing Marina wanted to deal with tonight.

“Did you see Quentin leave?” Julia asked, stroking Marina’s hair out of her face. Marina let out a small, happy noise at the gesture but shook her head.

“Probably off to fuck. You don’t wear a suit and not get everything you can out of it,” Marina laughed at the grossed out look Julia gave her. “Did you see we had competition for hottest lesbians? That blonde and brunette who couldn’t keep their hands off of each other?”

“You’re the one who wanted to remain professional,” Julia pointed out and Marina hummed in agreement, eyes slowly shutting closed. They both needed to sleep. Julia could call Quentin the next day. “You know, this was a great party. You could do this for a living.”

“I just like spending other people’s money,” Marina snorted, tugging Julia until they were laying on the couch next to each other. “Now shut the fuck up and let’s sleep,” she demanded with no real heat.

Julia laughed and snuggled closer. 

\---

Quentin was partly glad he never fully unpacked in Eliot’s place. It was much easier to grab the stuff he had in the room and luckily a lot of his belongings were in a storage unit close to Julia. Maybe one day he would be able to take care of himself again and have a place of his own but this year just had different plans for him. Ever since he met Eliot his entire life flipped upside down. But he still couldn’t regret meeting him. The lowest point in his life came with some of the highest. He would miss Eliot dearly, but leaving the house needed to be done. Jane would miss Todd but they were fine just the two of them before.

He told Julia everything. The truth from start to finish. He had all of his belongings in his car and Jane was hanging out in a cat carrier at his feet while he begged her and Marina for a place to sleep. Julia offered the apartment above their garage multiple times before but this was the first time he was going to take advantage. 

A few hugs and unshed tears later, he found himself in the empty apartment by himself while Julia and Marina went to grab them some dinner. He dropped onto the spare bed and tried not to smother himself with a pillow. This was the last place he ever wanted to land. He never wanted Julia to worry about him and here she was taking care of him. If his father could see him now-

Quentin shook the thought out of his mind and kicked off his shoes to go under the covers. Jane was inspecting the apartment slowly but she didn’t seem very happy to be there. She warmed up to Todd and Eliot so quickly, maybe she was looking for them. If only he could explain the situation to her but cats didn’t have that kind of drama.

Drama that Quentin probably caused because he expected too much from the relationship.

It was time to sleep until the next year, he thought to himself as he gave his cat an apologetic look.

\---

Eliot wanted to take a nap when he got home from work. He had to go to the Christmas party the night before and work after a few hours of sleep. He missed Quentin and wished he didn’t have his own party to go to so Eliot could have invited him. It seemed rather tacky to invite Quentin to a party after being invited to one hosted by the guy’s sister. Maybe they could spend the rest of this day relaxing and watch some silly Christmas movies. Eliot was feeling rather festive.

He went to grab something to drink from the kitchen but heard Todd meowing loudly. Inspecting the cries, he found the cat scratching at Quentin’s bedroom door. For a reason he couldn’t explain, his stomach felt like it was going to drop. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer. 

“Hey, Q?” he asked in a small voice. This wasn’t good. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. And he proved his gut feeling right when he ultimately opened the door and found himself greeted by an empty room. All of Quentin’s stuff, Quentin’s charming mess was missing.

He leaned against the doorframe heavily and looked at Todd like the cat could explain the mess that was happening here. What happened? They just had sex and now Quentin wanted nothing to do with him? He didn’t seem like that kind of man. His heart was pounding in his chest and he didn’t want to give up easily like he always did at the slightest conflict.

He hastily grabbed his phone from his pocket and shakily called Quentin. Eliot was honestly surprised that the other man answered and for a moment he didn’t know how to greet him. Quentin seemed stunned as well and there was an awkward silence.

“Hey… Q?” Eliot said as if talking to a scared animal. He moved to the bare bed and sat down heavily. 

“El,” Quentin sounded muffled but Eliot was just glad to get an answer.

“Where are you, Q?”

“I’m with my sister… I need to focus on my school. It was fun and all but it’s just not working. For either of us,” Quentin rambled, it sounded rehearsed.

“Q-” Eliot tried again, trying to ignore the pain in his chest. It would be easier if he could just see the other man. If he could hold him.

“I gotta go. Talk to you soon,” he abruptly hung up and Eliot knew that he was going to be avoided at all costs.

Eliot stared at the phone and dropped it on the mattress next to him. Todd hopped up onto the bed and crawled onto Eliot’s lap. The man petted him absently, his expression stoic. He didn’t know how to react to this. He didn’t know how to fix this. He just knew that he had to.

\---

Eliot was the tallest Santa known to man and he hated wearing the big, fluffy belly but he enjoyed the smiles on the kids’ faces. When he was in his twenties he would cringe at the thought of having a family of his own. There was no way he would ever make a good father, he didn’t have a good example for himself. Now that he was older and a lot more confident he thought it could be possible. Margo said it was because he wanted to dress someone up.

She dropped by with her blonde girlfriend for a bit, but they had left to get lunch. He was completely surprised to find that she was dating Quentin’s friend who tried to destroy Eliot with a glare for hurting him. It almost worked too. They were holding hands the entire time at the station and Margo kept dropping her head on Alice’s shoulder. It was all so very adorable and he wasn’t used to that with Margo. Her relationships tend to be intense and short. This one could last. At least, he hoped so.

Margo did touch his belly one too many times and kept asking where Mrs. Claus was in front of the kids. He would be annoyed if it were anyone else. He wanted to say she was at happy hour, where he longed to be but these kids were young and innocent. Instead, he said she was feeding the reindeer. They had a long night ahead of them so he was expecting cookies from each and every kid.

There were so many things these kids wanted nowadays that he had never even heard of. Mostly things relating to video games and Eliot was surprised when one of them asked for a book out of the blue. The young girl made him think of Quentin. He probably was the kid that asked for comics and nerdy things. Usually, Eliot had a list of fancy gifts he wanted, that he bought for himself or Margo surprised him with. They were things like fancy fruit spreads or infused body lotions but mostly wine. Today was Christmas Eve and he just wanted another shot with Quentin. He thought things were going so well between them, he finally had that true connection he didn’t think existed outside of fiction.

Of course, he did something to screw things up. Without even trying. He sighed as he went to the breakroom of the fire station, ignoring the amused glances of his fellow firefighters at his outfit. He definitely needed the break.

All but dropping into the chair, he sighed and threw his Santa hat on top of the table. Maybe he missed his chance at a happy family. Maybe he was destined to be an old guy with a cat.

It’s as though Todd could hear his thoughts and the cat appeared out of his hiding spot in the breakroom. He hopped on the table gracefully, his little bell on his collar jingling. At least someone was feeling festive. Eliot was feeling lonely.

“Well, maybe we can start our own tradition for Christmas, Todd. Did you know they make wine for cats?” He began to scratch at the area above his tail. Todd purred for a moment before pulling away from Eliot. This is when he worried he would get scratched but Todd began to claw at the hat. 

The cat was so determined, needing to get rid of the hat. Eliot obliged after a minute of watching (it was a little amusing). The hat was covering a newspaper, and to be fair Eliot never read the ones left in the breakroom but the headline of this one stunned him. He recognized the name of the vet school Quentin went to.

They were hosting a Christmas event to help cats and dogs find forever homes at the local park. Quentin would definitely be there, why wouldn’t he be? Eliot gave Todd a nod like the cat understood what had to happen next. Todd only blinked in response. “Are you telling me I need to come up with an elaborate plan to win Quentin back?”

Todd stared.

“Are you telling me it’s time to eat?” he looked mournfully at Todd’s food bowl in the corner of the breakroom. The belly was making it difficult for him to move around but at least he knew he would still look good if he gained some weight. And grew a long beard. He rubbed his chin as he went to the bag of food in the closet to grab the food. It was very awkward but he managed to scoop some food into Todd’s bowl. He couldn’t even think about how ridiculous he looked. Instead, he kept thinking about what he would do tomorrow. Of course, Quentin would be there, he would be at any event that would help animals. It’s what he loved about Quentin, was how much he cared. 

The thought made him hold his breath for several moments, absently watching Todd eat his food. Love. He loved Margo. He even loved Todd.

Did he love Quentin? Was he capable of it?

The answer crashed over his entire being like a wave and it was euphoric. He loved Quentin. He was in love with him. He slumped against the wall and didn’t even notice the way his eyes began to spring tears. Rejection was always a possibility and one that Eliot never prepared himself for. He rarely opened up to people so he never had to worry. But what if Quentin didn’t feel the same way? It was scary.

Kady and Penny shot him a worried glance from the table after sharing ‘a look’. He wanted that. He wanted that and he wanted to hold hands like Margo and Alice and he wanted to take the risk. Quentin was worth it.

He straightened up and cleared his throat. There were still a few more hours of talking to kids. 

Eliot only wished he had his own Santa to make a wish to.

\---

“It’s so cold out here, remind me why I can’t die sad and alone?” Eliot whined playfully, only to hide his nerves. Putting himself out there, exposing his feelings… Well, he’d rather take on the raging flames most of the time. But no risk, no reward. One of the things his brother would say, mostly to his gaming friends. Quentin could handle his past. He took on his present. Now they would share their future together, if he didn’t completely mess this up.

Margo shot him a look but before she could say anything he beamed at her. 

“I’m kidding. Love you babe,” he darted down, giving her a peck on the cheek. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders before he ran off.

“I love you, you big dumbass,” she cooed affectionately and it warmed his entire being in spite of the chill in the air. “And he does too. Now go get your man!” She squeezed his shoulders before shoving him away. He could only stare at her in awe, noting the way Alice smoothly slid to her side and wrapped her arms around her waist. They connected so easily and he longed for that kind of feeling too. 

“Go!” the pair of women cried out in unison and Eliot cleared his throat. After a soft look from Margo he finally moved. They were alike in many ways, but mostly how closed off emotionally they could be. She let down her guard with Alice and she was happy. He could have that too.

“Time to get to work,” he nodded, grabbing a light jacket before hopping into the driver’s seat of the fire truck. Eliot had watched enough sappy movies to know how to do a grand gesture. Todd was in the passenger side, tail flicking impatiently as he waited for Eliot to pull out of the fire station. Driving a fire truck was as easy as driving a normal car to him most days but today he was too impatient to deal with the traffic and halfway to the park he turned on the siren. Yes, a definite abuse of his power but what was the point in working such a dangerous job if he couldn’t take advantage of a small perk?

He had the siren on until he made it to the event, turning it off as soon as he parked. In the distance he could see Quentin with a puppy in his arms, definitely distracted by the siren as he was talking about a possible adoption. He handed the puppy over to another volunteer before warily making his way over. Again there was that wave of panic, the urge to keep driving but he pushed it away. Todd rubbed the side of his body along Eliot’s thigh and he gulped. It was now or never. He gave Quentin a tight smile from his seat and hopped out of the truck, fighting the urge to wring his hands as he watched Quentin tuck his own in his back pocket.

Eliot wanted to hug Quentin as soon as he reached him, noting the curious looks from the other people participating in the event but he stopped caring when the shorter man spoke up. 

“What are you doing here, Eliot?” he asked, sounding completely drained. Eliot felt like he was responsible for that and he needed to fix it. Quentin was wearing a light blue jacket and a homemade knitted scarf that he tried to bury half his face in. He was trying to hide and Eliot hated it.

“Todd reminded me that you volunteer here for Christmas,” Eliot’s lips twitched up and he rocked back on his heels. He wanted to blurt out ‘what happened with us, I thought things were going great!’ but he didn’t want to scare Quentin off. Instead he looked around at the adoption fair, at the carousel and the smiling faces of people who were there. Then he looked at the yapping dogs ready to find their forever homes and beamed because he finally found his. He opened his mouth to say that but Quentin quickly cut him off.

“I thought you’d be spending the holiday with your new boyfriend,” Quentin grimaced, although he was trying very hard to make it look like he didn’t care. Eliot learned so much about the man in their short time together. It felt like in another lifetime they spent their entire lives together. Every tick, every habit, every gesture he kept locked inside his heart. Quentin needed to know he belonged there too.

That’s why at the mention of a boyfriend, Eliot’s eyes widened. Where was this coming from? Mike was in Hawaii now with a new boytoy, so what was going on? “Boyfriend?”

“I saw you at my sister’s girlfriend’s company party. The one I invited you to. Big party, the mayor was even there. There was a guy with the red jacket you were close to… figured you were dating,” Quentin shrugged, eyes flickering between Eliot and his feet the entire conversation. It was obviously uncomfortable for him but he was as eager as Eliot to get through this conversation. They both needed answers.

“Quentin… no,” he shook his head and took a step closer to the man. He longed to reach out and grab onto him, but Quentin’s entire posture radiated an energy that said leave him alone. For now, he hoped. “I had to go to the party to promote the firefighter calendar. We do it every holiday to raise money for the children’s hospital. I didn’t know it was the same party, I thought you would have hated it there. That man with the red jacket is a city chairman… and happily married with four kids,” he continued explaining himself when he noticed Quentin visibly ease with every word.

Quentin let out a breath, unsure of what to say. They could have been on the track towards something big if he didn’t draw conclusions. He felt like he messed everything up. 

Before he had the chance to verbally put himself down, Eliot’s hands cupped his cheeks and he peered directly into his eyes. “I need to tell you something. Can you come with me?”

Quentin bit the inside of his cheek before nodding and grabbing one of Eliot’s hands. The taller man guided him towards his fire truck as Quentin’s fellow volunteers cheered them on. His face felt hot and he was completely overwhelmed but excited at the same time. They walked until they reached the back of the fire truck and that’s when Quentin noticed Alice and Margo parked a few spots away with Todd and Jane tucked in their arms as they watched the scene. Alice gave him a smile and a nod and Margo tilted her head curiously, almost as if she were as nervous as the two men but didn’t want to express it. 

“Quentin Makepeace Coldwater. You are the bravest and smartest man I know. I love how much you care about others. I love how much you care about animals. I love that you know how to fix a stove but don’t know how to cook with anything but bread and cheese. I love your ambitions and I know that you want to go to school to achieve them. I know that you’re too busy to be in a relationship but then I came into your life- But I’m a patient man.” He brought Quentin’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles.

“Eliot...” Quentin let out in a sigh.

“I promise to support you on your journey to be a veterinarian. Any of your dreams, really. And I’m going to be brave for you,” Eliot dropped Quentin’s hand and started to climb up the back of the truck until he reached the top. “I love you, Quentin,” he said gently as he crouched down to look at him. Any stranger who passed the pair could look into his eyes and know that it was true. Quentin was completely entranced with the man. Completely smitten, Julia would probably say.

Rather than waiting for Eliot to continue, Quentin started to climb up the truck as well. He grabbed onto Eliot’s hand and allowed himself to be pulled up but wouldn’t let go of it as he stared at him. “I love you too,” he squeezed Eliot’s hand and let out a laugh of relief.

Eliot laughed as well, even as he leaned down to kiss Quentin. His joy couldn’t be contained, even as their lips met. Everything about this felt so pure, unlike anything he’d ever experienced. It was a messy kiss, their smiles making them clumsy but neither of them could help it nor did either of them really care. Quentin’s hands were grabbing onto Eliot’s shoulders and he wouldn’t let the other move for a moment when he pulled back. 

“You know, I was going to scream out to the entire city that I loved you. This truck has a megaphone,” Eliot grinned, fingers brushing Quentin’s fingers back as the man pressed his face to his chest.

“I would have ran,” Quentin took a deep breath and pulled back. There was that teasing smirk that Eliot fell in love with. So many things Eliot was in love with when it came to Quentin, he could have just broadcasted to the whole city too.

“Would have caught up in a second. Longer legs,” his thumbs brushed along Quentin’s cheekbones and he pecked his lips again. “I got you something before you left,” Eliot reluctantly let go of Quentin to peer over the edge of the truck. Quentin’s gaze followed as he watched Margo down below handing Eliot a medium-sized picture frame. She winked at the pair and opened her mouth before nodding and walking away. 

“What are those?” Quentin stared at the frame, noticeably getting emotional all over again.

“Gifts,” Eliot shrugged, like it was completely obvious.

“You didn’t wrap them,” his eyebrows knitted together.

“I didn’t have time-”

“Next year we’re doing things a bit differently,” Quentin shook his head and sighed, reaching for the frame.

Eliot choked up, they really did have a future together. He happily turned the frame and showed a pair of paw prints and a picture of Eliot, Quentin, Todd and Jane in their god-ugly Christmas sweaters, smiling widely.

“I just got you a coffee mug,” Quentin’s shoulders slumped and his voice was thick. He couldn’t stop staring at the picture.

“There’s always next year.” Eliot beamed, he think he finally won Christmas.

“Next year,” Quentin nodded, hands resting in over Eliot’s on the frame as he moved closer to kiss him once more.

\---

The New Years’ party was at Julia and Marina’s house and it was tiny in comparison to their Christmas party. It was Eliot, Quentin, Julia, Marina and a few of Marina's friends from work. Quentin was so incredibly jealous of how easy it was for Eliot to talk to new people. Even Julia who was kind of wary of Eliot seemed to warm up to him quickly. He and Marina were very similar in many ways so they were having a good time right off the bat. 

Eliot was kind of sad that Margo wouldn’t be there for the New Year, but she and Alice were finally in Cancun together. Eliot said that they were spending more time in the hotel room than out on the beach, but Eliot couldn’t judge. He and Quentin were in bed most of the time nowadays too. Although when the pair of ladies did go outside, the pictures were beautiful and Eliot was determined to get out there with Quentin as soon as possible. Quentin would look so good sprawled out on a beach towel in the sand. Maybe in a pair of Speedos. Or nothing at all. Eliot’s gaze flickered around the party and he was definitely planning on darting out as soon as the countdown was over.

“Five more minutes,” Quentin appeared at his side while he was looking out the window, offering a flute of champagne. He truly was the best. “Any resolutions for the new year?”

“I want to get you naked on the beach,” Eliot said honestly, not explaining the thoughts swirling in his head but Quentin already knew what was happening.

“Wish Margo a happy new year and stop seething because you’re not there,” Quentin clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and took a sip of his own drink.

“I want to be wherever you are,” Eliot tapped his glass against Quentin’s and drank.

“Smooth,” Quentin laughed and wrapped his arm around Eliot’s waist. “But I appreciate the sentiment. This is the first New Years where I have someone to kiss,” he admitted, burying his face against Eliot’s shoulder.

“You still have four minutes to flee,” Eliot smiled, turning away from the window and forcing Quentin to look at him more fully again. “Can’t believe you’re finally moving back in with me next year. The house is too quiet.”

“I’m moving in tomorrow, stop being cute,” Quentin’s hand rested lightly on Eliot’s waist. He could sense Julia was watching them in the distance but he’s too happy to be bashful about it. 

“I even cleaned out half of my closet,” Eliot pulled the other man closer and smiled, waiting for the upcoming praise because for him, that was a big deal.

“I’m calling that bluff,” Quentin teased.

“There’s space in your old room,” Eliot whined, having a wardrobe bigger than everyone at this party combined.

“One minute!” Someone called out behind them but Eliot was too busy crowding Quentin’s space. He loved the other man entirely.

Someone was obnoxiously counting down from the entire minute and there was a crowd in the living room staring at the television, watching the ball drop in New York. Eliot didn’t care about midnight, he just wanted to be sleeping in the same bed from then on. 

“Do you think you can love me for another year?” Eliot teased, cupping his boyfriend’s cheek. He couldn’t get over the fact that he had a boyfriend. A boyfriend he actually loved. This started off as such a dull year, and everything changed when he met a cat. He was so thankful for Todd.

“We didn’t know each other for a whole year-”

“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!”

“Don’t knit-pick, Q-”

“Six! Five! Four!”

“I love you, dumbass. Happy New Year,” he said, setting his champagne along with Eliot’s down on the windowsill before kissing him firmly. Auld Lang Syne played in the background and the room gasped. For a moment, Eliot was worried that two men kissing would bother those around them. So he was the first to break the kiss to look at what was happening. 

Marina knelt down on the ground in front of Julia and held out a ring. Quentin looked confused for a few moments but it was obvious Julia knew what was happening while covering her mouth and crying. 

“You make me want to be a better person. A better version of myself. And I want all your dreams to come true and I feel like we can make that happen together. I love you, Julia. Will you marry me?” Eliot managed to hear Marina over the television and the chattering. Marina looked oddly fragile and nervous. Eliot barely knew her and he knew that she was rarely nervous.

“She didn’t even ask me for permission,” Quentin mumbled beside him and his arms were crossed over his chest like he was mad but there was a smile on his face. 

“She doesn’t seem like the type,” Eliot only shrugged.

Julia said yes and the entire room erupted into a roar. Quentin was smiling and jumping up and made his way over to the pair as Eliot watched behind him. 

He brought the champagne to his lips and plotted. His own proposal had to be a lot more elaborate than this. If Quentin smiled like that for his sister, imagine what he would when it happened to him?


	6. Epilogue

**_Two Years Later_ **

The gifts this year were exceptional. Marina got Julia a surfboard. The pair had moved to California so Julia could study architecture. She loved her job as a realtor but she wanted to do more than just sell houses. She wanted to build peoples’ dream homes from the ground up. And of course, Marina wasn’t going to turn down the chance to wear less clothing in warmer weather. When Julia wasn’t studying or in school, they were on the beach. Lately, she wanted to learn how to surf and Marina could never say no to her future wife.

Julia got Marina new business cards. When they eventually went back to Virginia, Marina would go back into the law firm but for now, she was having fun planning parties with other peoples’ money. 

Julia got Quentin a tablet. He was a busy man nowadays and he needed something to carry around where he could multitask on the go. He became a veterinarian with his friend, Alice. They opened a clinic together and since she couldn’t buy him some extra hours of sleep, at least the tablet could help him hold things together. She could tell how tired he was from their Skype calls.

Quentin was extremely thankful for Alice, the brains of the operation but this was their second year together at the same clinic so they had matching stress balls once more. It’s what they had gotten one another the year before and the gag gift would probably go on for as long as their friendship.

Alice bought Margo a trip to Barcelona, Spain. They found that they enjoy traveling and Margo was a little nerdier than she liked to let on. They did the tours together, learned the cultures and ate the food. Then fucked in the nice hotel rooms.

Margo got Alice a diamond necklace. Their initials were engraved on the pendant and it was the closest she could get to an actual engagement ring, although both of them knew that was next. They were both currently living together in the house that Eliot was flipping. The three of them were building it to be Margo and Alice’s dream home. They disagreed with the aesthetic often but Eliot oddly remained calm and just did what he was told. Margo bought him his own bar cart for his place for all the trouble.

Quentin and he had moved into a smaller house. Practically a cottage but they loved it. Eliot loved the warmth it provided and Quentin was enjoying the garden. Gardening calmed him down, they found. They had brought another cat into their lives, one Quentin found abandoned at his clinic. Eliot thought they were a full house already, Jane and Todd were enough. But he fell in love quickly when the trio cuddled on the foot of his bed.

Now it was time for Quentin and Eliot to open up the gifts they had gotten for each other. They both noted that the wrapped boxes were identical in size. The size of engagement rings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who stuck around to the end. Much love <3


End file.
